The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 7. 1918. GERMANY'S "NO ANNEXATIONS" THICK.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1918, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 7. 1918. GERMANY'S "NO ANNEXATIONS" THICK.

The latc-i. cable news from Russia afford- a mrii.hu; 'iilnstration of Hun ;rici;civ. but. ojji-iis nut a possible pros-|:,.;-i hi' 1!,.' salvation of Hussia from i;„. <.:a,v, oi tin' i:erm.in vulture. The lul-bevm ' policy with regard to peace vu~ ;'i.iM."l wiili (in object, of acceptance by all the belligerents, the basic

■a-';;]'. \\o oeim; "No emicxations. no inil'Miaii.e ,' coupled with the right of i!,e p'ujil.-s oi occupied territory to deciilc a- to liuir own destiny. On paper tci: wa i an attractive programme that migiil iimi favor - nliiairn tl v to bring

11 unit, m puliation- for a general peace,,! dough Merc has never been any doubt ..hat the Allies would for a moment seriously consider such a termination of lhe war. The Ibil.-howks, however, did.

not s!|!)h:;>i so much 1o the governing i-owor- « . i.> *lic )11■ oiiii> of the bolligercm i bey jui.dil bring pressure Lo baar in paienin;-, up a peace. To realise iuuv lhi< vain hopo look such a powenui hold on the Russian Ex tii'ini-ts it i-< ncccs?ary to remember J hat. on the deposition of tile Czar, lius- - ia was lei'i. wil'ionl any lorm of Gov"i j! i>u 11J, Hutc. v,';v; 110 law, 110 order, 110 police to enforce such authority as Vi'n seized primarily by the Provisional <Ui\t-rmitfiil. an,l Miim-quonUy by the ilol-hevi!:-, i.'■ 11 - C"[tii'tillv chaos resulted niiti innlloi : (ii'ii'l.'ii speedily from bad i» v.o'-f am 1 ,i ;.(«!.•• of '-'i\i! war en-nc-i. i ' h'ciimManees (ier!!>«;!J -ttv her I'hiinre and look it by her .a: .1 1 i! e! I:t !1 COll ■ mot ilild-. The sfUvlrvr .sp oi disaffection and strife i« a .is!: 1 • •• ;,y which thi-. malevolent I'ov.ev or- to jCL-oiii;»iis!i its evil purpo i-c. 'Jjiou.-aiiils oi" '..lei man apynt.-; poured iniii i!us-ia. newspapers were purchased or established, masses o r pamphlets circulat-''il. pro-Oermans stimulated and the simple-minded Russians nir-iapiioriealiy "lifted off their feet" by the prospects of I he golden era by which 'bev v e,\. :■>■■■/,led. They were tempted '■ ' l ' fell. Yiie extreme .Socialists like i.eniii and Trotsky soon became obsessed with ihe alluring mission of destroying l;e ir.iln-trial ami financial system in uiis-ia. as well as the destruction of

n'ljinnalism, the peasants and workers in iiv; proini-'!"] a universal brotherhood <u' i!v proletariat of the world, which '.■ nub! ileslrny all national Governments and eslablish & universal reign of peace and brother!-,- love. It was the glamor o: ibis millenium that acted like magic and li.cy forced iheinsclves to bcli,-ve thai German;; would act fairly and, squarely, knowing how desperately the Genirai Powers rainjcd peace. Jt is even po.-siu.'e lliey argued that when Russia dropped out of the war the Allies would have (o seek for peace, and probably the Gorman propc-a-mlMs fostered this ab-:-'urd iiieurv. At all events the Central Powers ari fully insinuated that the doc'■'inc "i no aun-xaiinns, no indemnities

;i!ii! the freedom nl choice nf the peoples of oempied territories was an acceptable lu-d-, hi' price lioeoiiations. The n iask of hypocri.-y cleverly eoneealed the real intentions of ihe Huns for some time, I'"! it Jjii-- now fallen am! the grim sped re of (lie mailed fist lias been disclosed with nil its hidoou.-ness. "Whilst outwardly subscribing ( 0 the demand that tiie occupied I'Uissian territories should he dealt with according to the ;ic~ircs nf (lie peoples—to be ascertained »y plebiscites-—the iternuuis, as soon as

| l'hr> HL bitovsl; nc^otiai ions wore set wl'Mii llio madiinerv Ihstt would bnn.f ilic-.c lerritorie-; under (icrniaii rule, for (hoy schemed in such a v.a.y as tii induct.- the local in 'arh dMricf. to carry a iv.-olulioii in lavtir of aancxalion to (iermany. It wa-; ju;-l one ( ,f (hose infamous tricks which aIV fiart. of (he political stock in tnme of '"if a.uoslles of Kultur. Having ■ ivoi kod tins swindle ou tin; Russians " ••• is couM. face the ilrcst T.itovsk pourparlers with a light ; heart, for they flattered themselves they .' mado sure ol ;i o,H)d bargain before -.' as struck. All they Lad to do was : : ' 1 ill-pla;.- the velvet "love which 0011i ' v!,le, l lJh ' Jiaileil list, hike ail rogues, i i however, they over-reached tliemaelvei I

;i 1111 ihe <■ x 11;i11re has come with dramatic vD'cl. T!v Hennans could in'Vi'l' haw had any hope of deceiving 11 u;■ A!lies by siii'ii a larro as tlw l!w,l Utovsk conference (II 1 ill!' iiiinic thcre:;l. lull Cn' '.!<■ hi<leii Kus.-iahS, like a. ninlli around :i caii:ilc. were attracted by ilie .'4l:i 10 wiiirli threatened their de-truction as a Iree nation They pressed forward caS'-rly into the net wliic-li (he Huns iiad rpvead. and whether they wiil esfrom its meshes remains '> !,u seen. Their onlj chance is I<> st:.i. t shoulder t" sliiiuM'T against tie' common enemy atal !hiK" avoid <nej'Mlielmed. Kussia restored the discipline in her army owe, and possibly can do so again. II is her only hope. Dm■, further revelation i,f (leniu n baseness should >erve to bracr np ilie Allies to the inmost, for it d I'll ion si rati". I'll too clearly that Germany is 'lioiiele.-.-iv untrustworthy and that when straightforward she is i'ar more- clangorous than when at open email,v. Jt may lie that the propaganda now hem." instituted hy the UoMieviks anions 1 the German soldiers wiii help to briny to a head the move incuts now taking plaee in Germany and Aiisiria towards a satisfactory peace, and the firmness of the Allies may haw an excellent effect, especially it' they make a final reiteration of their war aims, demolish'.ll ins; that their object is not to crush the people of 'Austro-Gpr--I"any but to deliver them from the intolerable yoke of a militarism that the world can no longer permit to exist. It is only by a world-wide democracy that a world-wide peace can be evolved.