PEACE PROPOSALS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 March 1917, Page 5

PEACE PROPOSALS.

GERMANY'S AIMS.

SPEECH BY THE CHANCELLOR.

LONDON, February 27

Herr van Bethmann Hoilweg, ing in the Reichstag, said : uur one necessnty is to light to gain the victory, uur soldiers stand in Hie trenches, and our submarines, defying death, hapten through the seas. At home our people are tireless; in producing ammunition and food, 'A hey realise that they must live an intensified life iii the future.

It is premature to participate in debates concerning peace and it would not be productive. It is precarious to make promises or to formulate detailed conditions. Hostile enemi©,; are doing this abundantly, and are givin<r (jxtravagaiat assurances to one another. Their example will nut tempt me.

Our aim solely is reparation and further guarantees—noiiimg more or less.

The Entente's answer to our peace offer wii'j more rude and presumptuous, than any sensible German or' neutral oeuld imagine. The effect of the Entente's document,; oi uarbu.ris.iu ana hatred will soon be manifest to the whole world. Our alliances and front.; stand firm and the nation is more united and resolute than ever. , THE BARKED ZONE.

Referring to the barred zone round England, rranee, and Italy, the Chancellor eaid : We do not under-estimate the dilncultitti caused to neutral shipping. We are therefore endeavoring to alleviate them as much as possible; also to the utmost of power we are .'supplying neutrals with raw materialsl, such as coal and iron.

We know that only England's tyranny over the seas causes ilnsie difficulties. We shall break this enslavement of all , non-Engliui trade and will meet half-way all neutrals' wishes l with which it is possible to comply, but this endeavoring can never go beyond the limits imposed on us by our irrevocable decisitu to reach our aim by the establishment of the barred /ones.. We are certain that later neutrals will thank us for our firmness because of the freedom of the seas we are gaining by lighting, which will also be advantageous for them.

AMERICA'S ATTITUDE. Hen- Holhveg said that lie had not received authentic reasons for President Wilson's brusque step. Mr. Gerard earlier had meiely intimated verbally the breaking off of relations and had asked for passports. This form ot severing relation:; between two great.nations living at peace was proh. ably unprecedented. President Wilson was reported as telling Congress that Germany by her IS'ote of January 31st, suddenly and without warning withdrew her solemn promises given in her Note of May, 1916. He had therefore no choice but to break off diplomatic relations. "If President Wilson was correctly reported," declared Herr von lietnmann Holhveg, "I most decidedly protest." " ,

Herr von' Bethmann Holhveg continued : For over a century friendly relations! have been carefully promoted between Germany and America. Both countries hnva benefited thereby, but sinve the outbreak of the war things in America have changed and old principles have been overthrown. President Wilr.on during the 191-'! Mexican troubles declared that he intended to adhere to the best usages internationally'and not Co supply arms to either Mexican party. He apparently no longer considered these usage:! good in 191-1, when he supplied war material to the Entente.

The jealousy with which President Wilson has upheld the rights, of Americans freely to travel and trade with the Entente, even the munitions trade ha:; been paid for in German blood, but the same right of American citizens towards, the Central Powers hay not been deemed equally valuable and worthy cf protection. America protested'against some of England's measures which were contrary to international law, but she had .submitted to them. America must protest with equal decisiveness 1 . America's! objection .is that the manner of our # withdrawal of our assurances of the May Note has offended America's honor and dignity. We, from the beginning, expressly declared that those assurances would be invalid* under certain conditions- Our MayNote sought to induce America to insist on all the belligerents obeying the laws of humanity. America is really striking a contrast between our contentious, and conditions have since justified our reawiurning full liberty of action. England has failed to abolish Germany's isolation and has even recklessly in* ttusiiied it. America has failed to prevail upon our enemies respect for international law and the laws of humanity. America could not have hindered more the complete destruction of the freedom of the seas which she earlier wanted, with our co-opera-tion, to restore, England issued a further isolation declaration concerning the North Sea at the end of January.

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS. Therefore it iu nut surprising tlr.it wo who considered the freedom of tho sous not re-established, we who were ready for peace by mutual understand, ing, will now fight for our life against an enemy who from the beginning put his. heel upon the recognised laws of nations l . America might have enforced the cessation of bloodshed, instead of in a ono sided fashion upholding international law against in: alone, Why did not England endanger American lives? Only because America submitted to English measures'. What would have happened if America had valued her trade with « Bremen and Hamburg equally with Liverpool and London ? The American break-off, coupled with her attempted mobilisation of all neutrals against Germany, did not assist in/the freedom of the sens and did not proniote peace, which was.

America's aim. Instead, it tended to multiply tlie bloodshed. We regret the rupture with a ntttion seemingly predestined to work wjtli us on common ideal-:

England contends, that our use of submarines is the greatest crime in hiiitory, because she considers herself til© ordained ruler of ine ocean. Sir Percy Scott in 11)14 predicted submarine warfare and declared that it did not. contravene international laws.

CHARGES AGAINST ENGLAND. Heir von Bethmann Hoilweg charged England with the systematic extermination of Boer women and children. She now seeks by the same mechod to foiee 7u,UUo,ood people into submission. .

"Our submarines' success has surprised the navy's expectations," lie declared, "and has discouraged neutral shipping. It is imposiiUu to give definite results of the submarining and the reports, of a large proportion of the submarines received, because they are still voyaging, but the report, cd •utiece.! .es are great. The enemy does 'not publish his complete losses. We are aware of the incomparable bravery, submission, and full confidence (the development of which will be increasingly important) of the women and children of Germany. Their spirit became heroes, facing the sufferings alnd want of the hard, winter which is past. "We .are morally strengthened by our scornful refusal of the peace offer.

We can safely protect our laud fronts by the genius of our Supreme Command. We shall be victorious upon the sea. and are many times more ore. pared for a submarine war than a year ago.

'"We confidently look to the coming months to bring a happy termination to the war."