PEACE PROPOSALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 February 1917, Page 7

PEACE PROPOSALS

THE ENTENTE'S TERMS. CRITICISED HV LITTLE ENGLANDEIbS. LUajjUx'v, reLruary HU. In the Louse ot numinous, iUr. A. Ponseuoy urged the uuvu'inueut to uiscmse jt-.j policy m regard to its futiho conduct or the Avar. We hail ai.uu.s su.d that we had uo seihsu iiion.c,! and were nut seeking to mctc.eic i>v.f territory or the ursinembc; i..uiu oi enemy territory, yet our Lot. to 1 America showed otherwise. Li.uuii had made great sacrifices L.m purely disiuteirated motives'. The Government* should not degrade itself by making the war duo of aggrandisement and supremacy, rue German people were suffering, not thy military party. We were destroying German Liberalism, which was the only force capable of crushing militarism. We entered the war with clean hands and we ought to emerge empty, handed.

Mi*. C. P. Trevelyan declared that .the fate of Constantinople and the German colonies made it a war of eonquest. The Entente had not made the Germans fight desperately to avoid nationaKinnihilation. ' The. "Entente's demand was not characterised by frankness and charity. Whatever our military Bucc&isesi we would still bo compelled to negotiate, not to dictate, peace. In Heaven's name, why not try now? Mr. 1\ SnOwden raid that the longer tho war continued the less likelihood there wror of securing terms satisfactory to either of the combatants. The Allies terms wore monstrous. Mr. Bonar Law, in replying, said that Germany was acting on the principle that she must win not merely by fighting, but by tyrannising civilian populations.' . Britain was not fighting for additional territory" or to secure a glorious .victory which would reflect credit on her arms, but for the punishment necessary in order to make the people le'pJnsible for these crimes feel that it did not pay. The war was forced' upon the world, with calculations as cold-blooded an. a man moved a piece on a chessboard. We had no, guarantee that if the, war ended today, with the German military machine imbrolieri'and the prestige of victory still clinging round it, thft power of 'Germainy would-not be in the ttaine hands and used for the same purposes in the future. If preparation,) for a- fight were recommenced, we would . have to defeiud, ourselves under worse conditions. Those reapon. sible to the Government had determined that blood should-not be slied: in vain. There must not be.a second panic war. He denounced; any peace agitation at this time, when the great- < est neutral nation recognised that the exoesii'is of our enemies', had 'reached a limit which made civilisation inrpos-. sible.. / ' _ '; • -.-_',, Hon. .Walter Long, in replying to Mr. N. Buxton, said that his speech,cabled on January 31st, was delivered by him an Colonial Secretary. He was; expressing the opinion of those whom,: he wa.'i bound'|o represent, namely, the Dominions' and eolonies,- besides mft.'ly "people here."£'Mi',.'■Long'■denied'-' the aliegfition/.thnl4riL< created any difficulty with : Aiiiericai . •