PLAYING A DEEP GAME

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 56, 30 November 1918, Page 6

PLAYING A DEEP GAME

It is extremely difficult sit Ihc present moment to 'follow the drift of German affaire. The reports arc so contradictory Unit it is quite-impossible to fully understand tin! present' position, or to form clear ideas as to the future. One cannot.help feeling that there, is something sinister about Die ivliolc business. Crafty influences' seem to be at work, and a surprise may be sprung upon tho world at any .moment. 11, is not oven certain that the Kaiser has abdicated. Count Hohenzoiaern may still be King of Prussia and German Emperor.' No documentary proof of liis abdication has yet been placed before the Allied Governments. All that is actually known is , that he has (led from Germany, and iliafc the' German people are endeavouring to devise a new constitution.

He is now residing in Holland, and it may be, taken for'gran toil thab he is watching Urn progress of events very closely. He is sure to be kept liilly 'advised of what, is going on and of what is likely to happen,. and if by any stroke of fortune the way should lie opened for his''return the probabilities arethai the story of his abdication would,be repudiated- . The possibility of the re-establishinent of Kaiscrism cannot safely be ignored, though such a turn of events is not likely. The royalists will no doubt continue to plot and scheme, and will take every advantage that the struggle between the Bolsheviks and the Socialists may provide.. Afc .present no one can tell what will bc v the outcome of ■ the revolution. lY'is still uncertain whether Socialism or Bolshevism will finally pi'c-. vail, but'a reversion to the old regimjris an. extremely, remote contingency. .'lf, however/the revolution resolves itself into a desperate conflict between the moderates and extremists the- exhausted nation may return- in its despair to some ■form of monarchical government. It may be the policy.of the royalists to keep Germany in such a state of turmoil.that she will grow, weary of her new guides, and place herself once more, under, the wing of the Hohenzollerns.

Some competent observers arc of opinion that Germany is playing a deep game with-'the object of. bluffing the Allies out of the legitimate fruits of-their victory. With guileful tears she implores them to' save her from starvation, and hints that if 'they do not feed her the Bolsheviks will get the upper hand. No one .wants to starve Germany or to hand her over to the tender mercies of the anarchists; but a message from. The Hague states that in Berlin hidden stocks of food ;ire being- brought out because it is believed that supplies are about to be sent by the Allies, and there are indications that Bolshevism is being used as a bogey to frighten the Allies. The pitiful wail for a modification of the armistice terms has now been taken up by "Herr Eitzj DBKGBR, who says he docs not sec how Germany can meet her obligations without weakening the country seriously ■ and causing grave political results. He seems 'to think that Germany, • the beaten criminal, should fare better than her victims. The Germans arc now finding that the way of the transgressor is hard, and forget that their sufferings are not nearly so great as those thfcy inflicted upon i ,, ranee and Belgium and Serbia. They showed no x mercy, and are receiving much more mercy from , the -Allies than they have any right to expect. Germany is sure to maintain a copious flow of tears until the Peace Conference is over in the hope of inducing the Allies to inflict a light punishment. She wants to blunt the edge of the sword of justice. It is, of course, entirely right that the "jjring of miserable mass murderers" should ho brought to judgment, but the German, people, as aiders and a-bet-k'rs of tne Kaiser and the Junkers, must bear their share of-,,the guilt and,of the penalty. By fhanging their form of government they do not free themselves from the obligation to make reparation for the greatest crime in human history. They were consenting parties to it, and were quite willing to participate in the spoil if the bid for worl'cl-ddminion had succeeded.