The Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1918. THE "SWATCH BY THE RHINE."

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 4 March 1919, Page 4

The Star.

TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1918. THE "SWATCH BY THE RHINE."

delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in flawenl, Manaia, Nownai.by, Okaiawa, Bltham, Mangatoki, K»poi>ga, Awatuna, Opunakc, Otttwbo, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville. Patea. Waverley.

If there has been any doubt as to the Allies' determination to make the Germans obey the demands put upon them it may be set at rest by the new armistice tern*? and. the important statement made by Mr Winston Churchill concerning the new British army. The terms, which the Germans have had to sign to renew the armistice, may well be regarded as adequate to secure the world against any possible' renewal of the war. One may judge of the nature of the latest document to which Herr Erzberger has put hie signature by the attitude of the National Assembly when he returned to Weimar. Germany knows that she is powerless to resist, and the fact that she was thoroughly beaten by the Allied armies is burning its way into the nation's soul. A British subject cannot well understand what, the days that are passing mean to the average German, fed from his youth up upon the doctrines of Prussianism. Where are the prophecies of the Kaiser and his associates? Why have the words of Treitsehke been proved to be* false ? Germany had, it was admitted,, the finest army, trained not only in muscle but in mind to become the conquerors of the world. To-

I day the nation is in ruins, her navy { riding helplessly an anchor in foreign /ports; her army reduced in accordance with the Allies' demands; her Kaiser living in daily fear of punishment, a fugitive enjoying, for the present, the protection of a small nation whose merchantmen were frequently attacked by his submarines. The Germane are indeed in a state in which twelve months ago they never dreamt they would find themselves. It is little wonder that there are ; aniong them desperate people, who are'doing their best to overthrow the State and plunge the country into civil •war. ■ Yet, the present position, full oif difficulties though it must be for the; Allies, is perhaps the most necessary and important in Germany's history. She is steadily realising that justice and freedom are infinitely greater powers in the world than arrogance and brutal aggression. The doctrine of militarism has been shattered and the hope of world domination has perished. The German people must have learned something of the enormity of their crimes against civilisation j they must also realise in some degree that those who instigated the crimes cannot, in the interests of mankind, be permitted to escape punishment. It is but natural that the enemy should do all in his power to have part of the penalty remitted, and, were cue Allies to complete their demobilisation and trust to the German promises which must be given at the Peace Con- I ference, there is reason to feel that there would he a rekindling of the fires of militarism, for the Germans are by nature warlike, and defiance and deception might rapidly gain conrtol. It is therefore very important that "we are going to set a watch by the Rhine and make Germany pay." The Allies cannot afford to trust the Germans again, and, though it is probable that the new British army will not be required for active service, the moral effect will be iricalulable. The enemy has been persuaded by force alone, and nothing could be more appropriate than that the "nation of shopkeepers" should provide part of the force to ensure the payment of the enemy's debts. The | splendid bearing of the British troops'' since their arrival on G<ernian soil has | already bee* acknowlegded by some of the German papers. It is safe to say I that when the Germane have had several more months experience of the presence of British troops, they will

know something of how armies ought to behave towards civilians. The occupation of the Rhine area by strong Allied forces may be expected to diecourage Bolshevik hopes, though the Bolshevists are making desperate efforts to overthrow Bbert's Government, but their movement appears, at any rate for the present, to be limited to certain areas. It is impossible to tell whether the Bolshevists will ultimately prevail, but Mr Balfour's statement on the early signing of the preliminary peace treaty encourages one to think that some of the reports of the extremists' strength in Germany are exaggerated. Let us hope that Mie dreaded menace of Bolshevism will be overthrown by the German Government and that our army's "watch by the Rhine" will succeed in its task j without fighting. The momentous decij sions expected during the next few I days and the final armistice terms will no doubt render Germany even more impotent than she is at present, but they will also test the power of the new Government to maintain order. Much depends upon the developments of the next few weeks whether or not Europe will be led along lines of reconstruction or whether the horrors predicted by some (f± the correspondents will come to pass.