Germany and the Future.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15268, 3 May 1915, Page 6

Germany and the Future.

Sir Paish, formerly Editor of tho "Statist, 1 " dfclaree that tho businc.se men of Germany know that Germany must lose, and ho suggests that they will use their influence to curtail tho war. Mr Balfour says thai the enemy's position is far less strong, lx>th morally , and materially, than at the beginning oi' the .struggle. Yet the Emperor lias been congratulating Admiral yon Tirpitz. and .speaking -with the voice of a commander serenely confident of victory. Eight months of war, however, have educated the public to the point of knowing how to iveijdi such mutually contradictory suggestions against each other. The Emperor may scatter his toasts and his decorations as freely as he chooses; tho facts of the war are against him. and tho majority of the world's population knows it. The German Press is losing its, old confidence, and thero aro increasingly numerous indications that thoughtful Germans havo abandoned all Hope of success. They aro beginning to think of tho future after peace is restored. A characteristic speculation -was printed tho other day from the pen of Dr. Paul Kohrbach, the -well-known German Imperialist. Dt. Kohrbach wishes his countrymen to believe that victory does not require any of thoso achievements which, until August, wero set boforo Germans as tho supremo purpose of tho nation. Frederick tho Great, ho urges, remained victor in tho Seven Years' War hi spito of his having won no territory, and ho adds: "\>'e, too, "shall havo tho right to consider our- " solves as haying -won tho war if at "tho end of tho strugglo our allied "enemies see themselves constrained to "desist from their intention to break "down our armed force,"and to withdraw to tho position as it existed be"foro tho war. It will then bo possible " to say of them: They set themeolves "to accomplish a /.«-*•»:- Sslr- and they " could not carry it out," Ono might easily rcnly that that could with much greater force be said of the Germans, but the thing to do is to noto tho enormous withdrawal, in Dr. Rohrbach's statement, from tho original German position. But moro interesting still is the argument that no permanent peaco is possible between Germany and Russia on account of tho lattor's rap.uiygrowing population, which drives her to over, new conquests, "Only those "who clearly realise this fact," Dr. Rohrbach adds, "wil] understand the "object which wo are obliged to set "ourselves as Tegards Russia —if not "in this war, "then in the next, a-nd " if not in the next, then in tho war "after the next." AYe should call this idlo chatter were it not that, to tho Prussian nrimi, wars, and more.wars, and still moro wars, are natural "ana pleasant ideas. It is to> make impossible this long "chain of wars that,-for most people,-the present war is being waged, and however ample may. bo —o success of the Allies, millions of people wil think it failure if the Prussian-ideal is not annihilated. A "correspondent of ah English newspaper thinks the analogy of Mr William Slices lias some point. The -burglar was punished for his offence, and turned loose to commit a fresh one. But at last the State took power to itself to lock Sikes up indefinitely.' This, it is contended, is what must bo done. with Germany; sho must be made the. subject of preventive measures. What ehapo these measures must take is a matter for a later day, but measures efficient enough can bo taken, to restrain tho Prussian epirit until that spirit has ceased to rule the German people. '