Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1916. PEACE.

Northern Advocate, 2 December 1916, Page 2

Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1916. PEACE.

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper.

In the course of his discussion of the Industrial Service Compulsion Bill in the German Keichstag the Chancellor (Dr. yon Bethmann-llollweg) took the opportunity to talk "freely" about peace. When we say that he talked "freely" this must not be taken to imply that he spoke "openly." His words have an apparent ring of honesty about them, but they certainly do not sound t'u , note which is likely to strike harmony either with neutrals or belligerents I! is obvious that the successes in Kinimania and the cooperation ol' Kiiiji' Constantine of Greece, hay c put some 110:1 rt into the German cause. Yon Holhveg therefore spei'.ks with the assurance born of recent — i> i> d transitory—e\ ents. He has, witlout any legitimate justification, gone back to the tone of domination which marked the earlier utterances of German statesmen. He professes '» desire for peace, but says it must IV a German-made peace —that is to say it nnust be a peace which Germany h ;itv|:ari--l (<> >ir.'»nt. to a chastened world. His words to the Keiehstag were:--"Again we have declared our willingness to enter into negotiations for peace, but there has been no response. O'.u , attitude in some quarters is represented as dictated by weakness. So far surely, as events of the past year demonstrated, we didn't speak out of weaknes or fear, just as the events of the cor.iiug year will also demonstrate ;,IfS:we adhere to our will- • ingness t.o consider a cessation of , • the struggle, we are obeying the - simple dictates of humanity, not «f •; apprehe.iiioi'i. I say this without concern- ps to the ultimate issue of -..-Ttlre. struggle, however prolonged, but under a solemn consciousness of the sanciiy of the flame of life, which shouldn't be lightly extinguished by human misunderstanding which a, common counsel might dissipate." Assuredly these words seem outspoken and manly until we read into them the story of German crimes. When yon Holhveg talks of "the dictates of humanity" one is forced to look back over the history of the war and ask what claim, what privilege whatever Germany lias left to speak of "the dictates of humanity." Did "the dictates, of humanity" prompt the violation of Belgium, the enslavement and spoliation of an unoffending people; did they prompt the desolation of »Servia and the butchery of thousands of helpless non-combatants; did they prompt the starvation and persecution of prisoners, the slaughter of women and children by marauding Zeppelins, the sinking of harmless merchant vessels with their human cargo; did these "dictates" cause the German, hi the fear of Cod and the desire for righteousness to sink Hie Lusifania and the Britannic ! These are potential questions which have to be answered before Germany can appeal to any world tribunal. Germany is not now, and never will be. in a position to dictate ponce and she certainly cannot plead with a. clean record before the nations ot Lhf-. world. Germany is au offender

against civilisation, an outlaw belligerent -which has discarded all rules of fair fight. There are scores to be paid off, and not till then will Germany be able to talk of peace.