Topics of the Day.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XIV, Issue 711, 14 January 1919, Page 3

Topics of the Day.

(By Bystandkr.. The year that has just ended was one of tho most momentous m the history of the world, and by far the most memorable m the annals of the British race. It embraced the most menacing and the most triumphant periods" the empire has ever known. In march aud April we were threatened with irretrievable disaster ; our troops were being driven back at j all points by the Germans, who had been enormously strengthened by reinforcements from the Russian front, and it was only by the stubborn and unconquerable va.ur of our troops that the German scheme to separate the French and British forces and drive us into the sea. 1 have pointed out before that the darkest hour m British history has often been the herald and forerunner of a glorious victory, and so happily it proves on this occasion. At the very moment that our heroic battalions were fighting a life and death struggle of unexampled tenacity and valour events were occurring on other frout^destined to rob Germany of all her allies .and bring her to her knees. W General Allenby, probably our greatest general, and certainly the only one during this war who ha% achieved a great and decisive victory, was perfecting his plans for the attack that resulted m the complete distruction of the whole Turkish Army m Palestine and the capture of all its war equipment, There has been no such decisive battle m British annals sinco Waterloo. It causod the Turkish Government to sue for peace, as Bulgaria had already done, having been defeated by the Allied army m the Balkans, and Austria, beaten on the Italian front' and menaced by an attack through Serbia had also to throw up the sponge. Ou July 18th Marshal Foch's masterly dispositions on the Western Front were completed and the great Allied counter-attack on the whole Jine commenced that waa destined to go from victory to victory until final triumph so complete was secured that when the German delegates entered Mar£_£l Foch's quarters at the time of the armistice their first remark was " The German army is at your mercy." How great a part the British Army played m securing that end is described m General Haig's" historic dispatch recently published Another eveut of vast importance o(ttd o. far reaching effect during the year was the British General Election. On no previous occasion lias the . opinion of the British people beeu so truly reflected as it was the first time that women had a vote. Never m all the history of Parliamentary representations has there been so emphatic a support given to any government or; so great a tribute to any leader as that now expressed by an overwhelming majority iv Mr Lloyd Geoi-ge and his collegues. Nor is this all for the pacifists and the stop-the-war cranks were dismissed to a man. The Liberal Party with such noble traditions behind it has ceased . to exist, and its leader Mr Asquith and most of his colleagues have been ignominiously defeated. "ZX*V> There is an- element of [sadness m the downfall of Mr Asquith, the last of the Gladstonians. He has a distinguished record as a reformer and administrator. Ii was by him that Old Age Pensions were introduced into Britain. He, however, still adhered to the exploded doctrine of Eree Trade and was associated with those 'who up to the very eve of the war reduced the idea that there' was any German menace and he had to pay for it 1 " " Unhappily the result of the election p-tn Ireland been of .a most re- ' ' volutionary character. The Nationalists, or Home Rulers, as a party have ceased to exist and a large majority of Sinn Feiners have been returned. . As they demand complete separation and an Irish Republic, a demand that is not lively to be acceeded to, the Irish question is likely to assume the most acute and stormy phase that has been known for a century. It is a *ad and humiliating end to Mr Gladstone's dream of placating Irish unrgpt by liberal reforms and generous concessions. For fifty years this policy has been pursued by both the g«eat political parties m Britain and tjfif is the result £ It is evi(Jegt£that tTO&e is some 'evil force ih Ireland that iB determined that all Britain's Efforts to promote peace and contj^iation shall be unavailing and to nullify all her attempts to end the feud of centuries.