PEACE MOVEMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 March 1918, Page 5

PEACE MOVEMENT.

BRITAIN'S REPLY TO GERMANY HERTLING 'S SOPHISTRY REVEALED. LONDON, Fbruary 28. In the House of Commons, Mr. Balfour, replying to the criticism of the Government for not using diplomacy in the interests of peace, said that diplomacy was out of court unless some measure of potential agreement existed for making diplomatic coriversations fruitful of good results.' All indications showed that we had not reached that happy stage. There was no clear direction in which sunlight of peace could make itself felt. "The time," said Mr. Balfour, "may come soon, but we should be deceiving ourselves if we took a sanguine view, in the face of Count von Hertling's speech. There is only one course for Germany to pursue. She must say 'I have sinned,' and next say ( I will make reparation and restore, without conditions, what I have taken.' Germany's ideas of economic freedom and. frontier security, has always meaSf commercial trammels on a weaker neighbour and the appropriation of territory'' After dealing with other of Count von Hertling's statements, Mr. Balfour declared that England did not use ;the balance of power for self-ag-grandisement. She fought only because by so doing Europe would be

saved from the domination of an over-

powering aggressive nation. England, 'in upholding the balance of power, saved Prussia from destruction, and later helped her to recover her independence against Napoleon. It ill became German statesmen to deride England's efforts for the balance of power. Until German militarism was abolished and an International Court with executive powers established for the protection of the weak, it was impossible to ignore the principles underlying the balance of power. If Count von Hertling could induce his countrymen to give up-their policy of ambitous world-domination, peace could

come now and for eveT Referring to Count von Hertling's statement that Germany's poliey in the East was directed towards preventing atrocities and devastations, and upholding humanity, Mt. BalfouT pointy to the f aet that German policy In the West was entirely occupied with atrocities and devastations. "We were ready to stand on trial and bear humanity, side by side, with Germany, while Germany was determined to have the rest of the civilised world creeping at her feet. It was difficult to

conduct the diplomatic conversations' which must prelude peace, for which no one longed more than ourselves. Conversations which began and ended in discord were worse than none at all. To begin negotiations without seeing a way to their successful termination would be the greatest crime against future peace. Negotiations must be preceded by a closer approximation of ideas. He would b* injuring the cause of peace if he encouraged the hope that these verbal communications would be useful., until a general agreement was apparent in the distance and statesmen of all countries saw a way to a settlement.