WILSON’S PEACE PUZZLE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4457, 26 January 1917, Page 5

WILSON’S PEACE PUZZLE.

WHAT “WITHOUT VICTORY” MEANS.

AN ATTEMPTED EXPLANATION-

SENATE DECLINES TO DEBATE THE SUBJECT.

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) WASHINGTON, Jan. 24.

There is still the widest difference of opinion amongst the newspapers and* publicists as to the desirability of President Wilson’s proposal that America should enter a League to enforce peace after the war. The New York World, which is in President Wilson’s confidence, endeavors to explain that peace without victory says and means a peace such as followed the American Civil War, wherein the military power of the South was crushed and no conqueror’s terms were imposed. President Wilson means that pe: manent peace cannot he imposed hv the sword. He does not mean tl• Allies will not crush Prussian mritarism.

The Senate dec' led not to dehate (President Wilson’s speech at present.

SWEDISH OPINIONS. (Australian and N.Z. -Cable Assn.; (Received Jan. 25, 5.5 p.m.) STOCKHOLM, Jan 25. The newspapers of both parties in Sweden interpret President Wilson’s speech as antagonistic to the Entente.

BRITISH REPLY TO WILSON.

SPEECH BY MR. BONAR LAW

PEACE IMPOSSIBLE AT PRESENT

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received Jan.' 25, 9.55 p.m.) LONDON, Jap. 25. Mr. Bonar Law, speaking at Bristol, and replying to President Wilson’s speech, declared that the Germans’ so-called peace offer had received the Allies’ only possible reply. “We believe that the essence of this conflict is a. question which is as old as time—namely, the difference between rigjht and; wrong,” he declared. “We know this is a war of naked'aggression, and that the crimes which have accompanied the conflict of the war—which were unknown in the world for centuries—are small compared with the initial crime of plunging the world into war by coldblooded calculation because those responsible thought it would pay. Our aims coincide with those of President Wilson in an effort to sewn re the present and future peace of the world. It is not right to regard President Wilson’s effort in regard to~n league of peace as altogether Utopian, but the subject is not an abstract question for the future, but a question of life of death, now proceeding.” Mr. Bonar Law dwelt on past efforts to render war impossible, or at least to mitigate its horrors. Germany had wholesalely violated her convention pledges thereanent, and no neutral power was able to stop that. No neutral, indeed, had protested, so we must take other means to secure the future peace of the world. We had rejected the German negotiations because peace now would mean peace based on German victoiy and would leave her military machine unbroken with a halo of success surrounding it, and the controllers or that machine would again prepare tor war choosing a convenient time to be trill.' What President Yilson is lomdnu for, we are fighting for, om mem-folk are risking their lives tor—and we mean to secure it. ’ lie asserted.