The Daily News. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1916. THE PEACE OFFER.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1916, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1916. THE PEACE OFFER.

S.'cntlis ago it was announced in America tjiat towards the end of the year Germany, after having achieved success iri some quarter, would offer peace ierms. The prediction has come to pass. Germany has achieved a local suCCes*, in ltouminia, and offers the Allies peace trms. They are, however, terms of a conqueror, and therefore impossible of acceptance. Germany has reached the maximum of her military success and pewer, and she wants peace badly. Ii i? a case ot now or never with her. She planned, she prepared, she organised for firty years and more to vanquish her lio.ghhors, and then intended to prepr.re find organise again for the final war with Britain, and gain the world's dominance. She attacked he: neigho.tr,s v'th a war machine perfected in evc.y detail, and thought by the Germans to hj? irresistible. Britain, her spies had insisted, would not come in; she was too busy with the Irish question and she loved ease and comfort; she was too dewic'eiit, anyhow, and had no stomach for a light other than with niggers, But Britain, thank God, did her duty by liei friends, by humanity, and by po--tciity, She entered the arena. From that day the Teuton realised his little g<'.me was spoilt. Fortified by the knowledge that Britain was by her t-'de, Belgium resisted the armed Teuton myriads, and was martyred. But the resistance gave a few days' extra bre.thIng time. Franco, too, gained confident, and fought with ft courage born of hope In final victory. Britain's army was »uiall at first, but it was of wonderful quality and played an important part in the opening stage of the campaign. The Germans treated our land forces with contempt; Britain was ruled out of their calculations as a land power. Wh:;'t l.''oy feared was the might of the Br'tish Navy, which they knew was powerful enough to defeat their own naval forces ai'.d cut off all sea-borne intercourse with her shores and be the means of capturing her cherished colonial possessions. S'io had good reason to fear the British Xuvy, as results have shown. It lias accomplished all that was expected of it, a.'.d more. Britain, before many months of the war, realised the magnitude of the fask, and set about the creation of armies numbering millions, and the cre-

at'on of a fighting instrument of unparalleled power. These armies have b.in getting into their stride during the past few months, and in the test of battle have (/roved thoii superiority over the life-long trained soldiers of the Kaiser. In the west, therefore, Germany tr.« that slio can never make any further impression, but will have to give way, slowly, perhaps, whilst her man power is sufficient to maintain her lines, but swiftly as soon as the reserves give ;-n;. On the Eastern front she is faced by millions of well-equipped, highly-trained,, and unconquerable Russian soldiers. In the Balkans .-.lie certainly has not with success against the smaller PoweV, but tfl tre is good reason to believe she ha? shot her bolt in Roumania, and cm nuke littl.> further hc-adwaj. On the Italian front there is no sign of weakness or disinclination to continue the struggle. Indeed, the Italian, worn never in such a strong position, and no'.er more determined to go on to victory. Germany looks everywhere for sifns of disintegration in the A!!!"*' camp. She pulls the strings, her emissaries become busy, but none of the Allies can be detached by offers of special treatment, and compensation. They present a united front. Germany knows the game is up, and through hcv Chancellor, \hat individual who wi'l go down in history associated with the "scrap of paper" incident, whereby Germany proclaimed the losing of her soul, she cries in unctuous accents for peace, a restoration of the "status quo ante bc'.lum," and endeavors, cunningly, to place the blame for the continuance of t:io bloodshed she started without cor:,pv.nction and without regard for the laws of God or man, upon the Allies! It is a different Germany now from the Germany of two years ago. But the difference has not been brought about by any repentance for the terrible crimes she has committed. It is because of the powerful war machine the Allies luve created after two and a half years of incessant work and tile, overcoming oi tremendous difficulties. That >racirne is now perfected. It is superior to Germany's, if for no other reason than that the morale of its great armies is greater because of the knowledge that they are avenging a great wrong and helping in ie-establishing international law and vindicating humanity and civilisation. Behind the armies stand tlis

Allied people, ready to a man to see. the thug through at whatever cost. Greater efforts than ever are being made to ensue victory. The Governments are Loin;; overhauls am! the. best talent is beiny employed. liritain has put ip. charge of its Avar affairs its greatest fighter, Mr. Lloyd-George, from whom the guilty, bked-stained Germans can expect no mercy. The Allies are not likely to accept the preposterous terms offered. To do so is to acclaim Germany the victor, ew.bling her later to eommencfl the building up jf a new and more powerful war machine, and employing it, not on four big nations as now, but on thorn singly. There is no compromising with ; the devil as personified in tho Teuton; he must he .Hade to pay and suffer for his infamous crimes, and any fiens agreeing to a patched up peace at the present moment the Allies should beat with contempt. There is only one basis of pea?e worthy of consideration. It is for Germany to confess her crimes and throw herself upon the mercy of the pc< nle she has wronged so grievously. The terms would be harsh, but not less so than slit, deserves, but they would bo infinitely better than she can hope la gain when the Allies are finished \v.th her.