The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, MARCH 20, 1917. A SEPARATE PEACE WITH AUSTRIA ?

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9618, 26 March 1917, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, MARCH 20, 1917. A SEPARATE PEACE WITH AUSTRIA ?

While. Britain and her Allies are determined, and very rightly determined, that no one of them will make a separate peace with Germany, there would .seem to be no good reason why the Quadruple Kntentc should not conclude a separate peace with Austria, or, in fact, with any or with all of Germany’s allies. For any of the Entente Powers to make a separate pact with Germany would pro tanto. weaken the Entente; and, therefore, any tendency in that direction must be guarded against to the utmost; must, a-s in the case of Russia, ho prevented even at the cpst, of TeyolUtion. , A- ’ soparsuto peace 1 with on tho ■ bthtf ; or with-Aiirkey or Bulgaria,, if, a separate .peace"-with 1, either,; of .LhSjafeter weTfe{hinkable-rr- ; would manifestly -weaken -s-Germanyj Wc, misgiving, gteat liopo, tho coi’re&peftvdifc.lt_6| the “New - that “liusjjjjjtjwis likely ids-offer a separata peace: : |f%?.^fustria”;; ■ more especially learn that 'the; basis of that reparaty .’pwjacc is “that ; tho .South GermaniSta-fes ijoin thef-Austrian'-Em-pire, and’ c the'-Slay - jjroviiiobs-of Hungary are,Russia.’’ .. The cor. respondent yaiSds—-and this may well bo the case; that “tho Austrian Emperor is tired of Hohcpzollcrn dictation”; hut his prediction of “peace within two months’’ is, we fear, very nuicli too sanguine. At tho same time, a Washington cablegram states that it is believed that Austria’s delay in replying to tho United State’s Note on the subject of submarine operations is due to Austria’s desire to make an offer for a separate peace, and that friends of President Wilson have intimated that he is considering a proposal for a separate peace for Austria and isolating Prussia for the time being. .But,, why for the time being only ? The Russian plan of permanently isolating Prussia by de-Prussianising the South German States ainl uniting them with Austria, has far more to recommend it than any merely temporary isolation of Prussia; and it also holds out a powerful inducement to Austria to come to terms. There is, further, a certain element of poetic justice in Austria, which the German Emperor had undoubtedly marked down for absorption by Prussia, absorbing instead at Prussia’s expense the Southern Gorman States.

In this connection, it is interestng to note, and Dr W. A. Chappie, an English M.P., well known in New Zealand, stated in a recent letter to the '‘Westminster Gazette,” that there must come a moment, if it has not already arrived, when Germany's weakening allies wil). take alarm at her persistent clamour for peace, interpret it correctly as evidence that' Germany knows she, is beaten, and asks, “Where do we come in?” Britain, ho urges, should anticipiato and speed the coming of this moment by an announcement, in conjunction with her Allies, to the effect that under no circumstances will the Entente discuss or conclude terms of peace with Germany on behalf of Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, or Austria, hut that each of these countries must make a separate appeal. None of Germany’s allies, ho points out, has the same necessity for holding out that Germany has. The Central Powers havo no pact similar to ours, and if they had each would treat it as a “scrap of paper” if that suited best. “We arc' not under the same necessity of pushing Germany’s allies to extremes as we are of pushing her,” he argues. “Neither Turkey nor Bulgaria nor Austria-Hungary is a prospective enemy whom we must securely bind in order to ensure our future safety. On the contrary, the more wo are able to disentangle the union of the Central Powers by detaching their peripheral elements before we finally deal with Germany the more wo will exploit their growing hatred and distrust of the Prussian Juggernaut, and thus weaken and isolate Germany both now and hereafter. . . . Moreover our terms of peace must be different with Germany from those with the other members of the Central Powers. Germany was the aggressor, Germany has the Navy, Germany is the foe we dread, Germany must be bound.” Dr Chappie further points out that tho present Austrian Emperor will naturally, seek to win the favour of his country and of posterity' by a service very different from that performed by his predecessor. Francis Joseph plunged his country into war, hut Karl will wish to end the war. “We will help him to do this if wo enable him to say in justification of a direct appeal to the Allies that he had no other alternative.”