The German Chancellor.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15939, 28 June 1917, Page 6

The German Chancellor.

We have another cablo message to-day referring to the campaign which is being waged against tho Gorman Chancellor bv the Conservatives, who represent the Junker and "industrialist" interests which stand for tho most aggressive kind of programme, and which demand that no peaco should bo made except on tho basis of wholcsalo annexations by Germany and the exaction of enormous indemnities from tho Entcnto Powers. The position of tho Chancellor is not at all easy to understand. Ho is regarded by tho "minority" Socialists in Germany as tho most astuto and unscrupulous of tho agents of Prussian militarism, to whoso uses' ho has converted tho majority of the Socialist Party. By the Junkers and the Conservatives generally ho is regarded as a drag upon German policy. Ho is blamod by tho Socialists for not announcing a moderate programme of -war-aims, and still more heartily blamed by the extremists at tho other end for his lack of forocity. In a speech in tho Reichstag last month ho refused to satisfy either the Conservatives or tho Socialists by stating Germany's peace aims. There -was no readiness for peace visibla in tho -attitude of France or England, he said, and added:

It comes to this. Shall X' immediately give our Western enemies an assurance which will enable them to prolong the -war indefinitely without clangor of losses to themselves? Shall I tell these enemies: "Come what may, tv« shall under all circumstances be people who renounce: we shall not touch a hair of your heads. But you want our lives —you can. -without any risks, continue to try your luck"? Shall I nail down the German Empire in all directions by a one-sided formula which only comprises one part of tho total peaco conditions, and which renounces succosses won by the blood of our sons and brothers, and leaves all other matters in suspense? No, I will not pursue such a policy. ... Or ought I, conversely, to set forth a programme of conquest? I decline to do that. . . .

We did not go forth to war, and wo stand in battle now against almost the whole world, not in order to make conquests, but exclusively to secure our existence and to establish firmly tho future of the nation. A programme of conquest helps as little as a programme of reconciliation to win victory and the war. On the contrary, I should thereby merely play tho game of hostile rulers, and make it easier for them further to delude their war-weary peoples into prolonging tho war immeasurably.

The Chancellor then proceeded to make a protty plain offer to Russia of a separate peace on tho basis, apparently, of the status quo. Thig attitude, however wise it- may be from the viewpoint of tho German Government, givos littlo satisfaction to anybody, although there are papers which defend the Chancellor against the fierce attacks of such journals as the "Tagos Zeitung" (in which Reventlow docs liis fulminating) and the "Lokal Anzeiger." So far as can be judged from the representative quotations from Gorman papers printed dny by day in the London Press, "tho " fight for the Chancellor" is a fairly evonly-matched one, with the balance rather in favour of moderation in respect of peace aims. Thero is more involved in this internal conflict than the war policy of Germany. Tho reform of tho Constitution is a matter of quite as much importance to the Right and Left a s tho. war itself, and tho lino of division between the parties is much the same in each case. On© gathers that the attacks upon tho Chancellor are moro fierce and general and persistent than the criticisms which led to tho downfall of the Asquith Government. Thus tho Leipzig ''Tageblatt" says that '' tho reproach that tho Chancellor " allows the reins to fall from his hands " is shouted at ono daily in every alley, " and: screamed in hundreds of pam- " phlets and in the now amply unfet- " tercd Press." If the Chancellor should fall, it would appear that his succossor would necessarily be a man after the heart of tho Conservative parties, who would bo a much moro formidable obstacle to peace than tbd cautious Hollweg. Thero aro those in Germany, however, who believe that tho clianco that Hollweg may come out with a moderato policy is the only thing that prevents tho growing discontent of tho German democracy from breaking into Tevolt. This discontent would beconio much deeper, and perhaps dangerous, if the Conservative parties triumphed ia the fight for control.

Progress ol the War. The figures quoted to-day by the "Daily Chronicle's" Paris correspondont- regarding the 6trength of the German Army are a further indication that tho enemy's man power is rapidly failing, and if the figures aro correct, it would appear that his strength mu>t have waned even faster than we have been led to believe. According to this correspondent, two-thirds of the German effectives are -fighting in the West, and one-third in the East, where the line had been previously so thinned that it was impossiblo for the Germans to mako a larger withdrawal than three divisions. Since April there has been a total increase of eight divisions on tho German western front, where there are now 155 divisions. Placing the strength of a division at 20,000 men, this means that t?ie British and French aro facing 3,100,000 men, and if that figure represents two-thirda of the German Army tho enemy's maximum strength is a little over million men. This is a decided decrease if previously cabled estimates wore correct, and is a further indication that he lias passed the zenith of his man power. If only twelve reserve divisions now remain behind the front, 38 having been usod up in two months, it is obvious that the writing is on the wall, and the time is rapidly approaching when-Germany will not only bo unable to repel raids, as stated in Mr Philip Gibbs's despatch to-day, tiut will he unable to stand up at all to tho over-Tncreasing armies of the Allies. Tho official news from tho fighting fronts is meagre, but conveys tho impression that big movements aro afoot, and the next few days should bring news of a new British offensive.