GERMANY WEAKENING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16969, 1 October 1918, Page 6

GERMANY WEAKENING.

BJESULT OF RECENT EVENTS SPRING ATTITUDE CHANGED. [BY. TELEGRAPH.—I'HESS association.] WELLINGTON, Monday. " Utterances by Gorman leaderu show clearly that a grave impression has been made by recent evonte," states the weekly war summary. "The extreme war aims tend to be abandoned. German criticism of the.German policy in the east increases, and it is murmured that Germany might revise the Brest Litovsk treaties. Germans cavil at the German plan of imposing German princes upon Russian frontier provinces. It is pointed out that it was easy enough for Napoleon to do this after Austerlitz, but it is not as easy lor tho Kaiser to do so in present conditions. Events in Poland show a weakening of the German influence, and a recognition that the hopes of a closer union with AustriaHungary are futile. Naturally Germany now turns her attention to the idea of a league of nations, and it seems possible an attempt will be made to use this as a cloak, beneath which to maintain that European predominance which military and other events seem now to be removing from German hands. S' Nothing, however, shows Germany any nearer the appreciation of the moral aspects of the war. The German people still fail to realise what the Allies are fighting for and how universal and dominant is the moral indignation aroused by Germany's conduct of the war and her political attitude during her brief ascendancy in the spring, wo better food is offered by the German Government to the depressed peoples, but there is raised the silly parrot cry about "a defensive war," which .never had any truth, and must now have lost all power of conviction even for tho Germans. Regarding German methods of warfare the French paper Le Temps says :—'The French Chamber is shortly requesting the Government, together with the Allies, to make a solemn declaration to the effect that any fresh devastation wrought by Germany on towns or territory will provoke immediate at d implacable reprisals,' The Italian declaration regarding Jugoslavs is most important in view of military developments in the remoter theatres of War. 'The Council of Ministers resolves to inform the allied Government*!,' tho declaration states, 'that the Italian Government re- - gards the movement of the Jugoslav people for the conquest of their independ. ence and for their constitution into a free State as corresponding with the principles for which the Entente is fighting, and also to the aims ofa just ana lasting peace.' This marks a significant advance in Italy's position,"-