PEACE AND DEMOCRACY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14196, 13 January 1917, Page 4

PEACE AND DEMOCRACY.

.DEMAND 03? GERAiAN PEOPLE.

. ' ' NEW YQB.&, December; 13^ The surge ,$& democracy and present dire need, m ■Germariy have forced: the* Kaiser's Governmeiit to move for peacp, accprding to Mass Z. Dbtyj whose articles, based on a detailed study of conditions;,. in Germany last summer, are How being published m the Trlbuaie. Never 1 before m history, -she saysj, has any nat/ion or group of nations been given such ah opportunity as the Allies have now. She believes m their acceptance of the peace ofiei* will lie the freedom .ot the small nations and the end

of German militarism; m .their refusal . the binding •together of all parties ' m. Germany into one force determined .to fight to the eiid.-- '.', \ y , " r |^e working people -of Germany are despei-^te," Miss -tjoty eaid last night. '"I'hev.e. i^ not . enough food to nourish thj?m They are- «iok of Imperialism and; want peace and d^mocrjwy..f,lf the A|Ues tun> clown, t-he. offers oip^a^e .the press, uesb day, wjll declare tlxffctr^ t^rmany's eneRWSs Ha© tjghtjng \ for tonjjue^t. ■'. N : < J • / '.'"The rgpult will bo the game as when Lloyd Georgo declared tljat (ier,many would be given a foiopj<-oufctblowv In desperation, the people will themselves together for a finish, ijght. They . ' -will coijaept to- aaiythirig aiid everything — rurthei; deportation of the Belgians, new submarine h^fixjrs;, added Zeppelin raids. ' ' .""- .'- \ '■'■■■'.■• ■.".'■' '-. '"On the other hand, suppose the Allies do not turn down Germany's peace prouosals. Syppose- they v - reply without harshnfis^ : ,'>. \t "■". ".'.i. /..'' ':•■■:■" » • . ' " 'Of cpui^se w© wamt peace. We want nothing f or . ourßelyep. - j We have been fightW . only for deinperapy aad liberty and aU. we,. ask: is freedom for the little iiati<!>t»k'-7rßolgiti^i i Eojandj fierbia, and. t^ Balkaais^-and a: plebiscite vote for AjlsacerX^orraine.' ■ : ,' "ThinTcl of the moral effee*. • Xhs peopl^ of Oermany—-and I helieve very sinceEely m the : people — would demand tbat'tiie .Government* *ocept the terms. I£ thq *Go.vernrn.Bnt refused, • a resolution would fqllqw rVhich would j-esult m .the OveHhf.oyy of ; jn,i}itari^m. The soldiers woul4 leftvethetreaichesj and those left at home wbuliii : ri^e to fight for democraoy. All the Allies fought For wouW .pe accomplished. . '.■'■■ "<*erman- Americans ar-e betnaying , Germany, Thejj, wamt -their fatherland 1 to be i.he Germaby. of, 50 years ago — rtho Germany of Bisniaixjk. They want democracy jn .America, but «ot m, Germatfy. 'i I i»e iior as a progressive landy awake, aj^rt-: alid determined to have the things thott^Jl the world wanted It the^Englieh -.people kndw what cohdiT tjpn^ jn Genttihy are, I believe they w^ll demand that r the peace offer be >e^ jectet(. Again, I say, I- believe m the peqpje.. 'When I; was m England, the fjovernmeufe knew Germany was m diw? need and losing streogMi all along the Jihe.^ The people' sttll thought she was gaining streng^i and that the war must go on. Perhaps now, they have learned the tru|lu Arefflsal. of Germany's Offer will mean the killing off of all the figliting men, Jeayjing boys and women in'tne fiototieg . and • the Goverpment free • -to ' build up, a stronger niilitary «y»tem. In time, af strength is regained, the same old «truggle wj 11 .have to be fought out again.' „■ "..■.•.•,'.'!,■ . .. .' . .■ :'-, - •■■. . v"WitH; the jfonnation of; a democracy m Gel.7na.nyv the, working claoses will be , igiVen a chance. To-day, their voice is of little value. <sharleg Hazen expresses the situation .m one. sentence : Although every man 25 years of age has the 3Of- : frage, the v.ate of a single rioh man iriay have a^yreat, weight as that of a.thousand 'working men.' In 1915. the 6ry m Germany was that at least one seaport m Belgium must be held. To-day, every person with whom I talked m Germadly declared that Belgium mn^ be restored completely. The voice of the people ia making itself heard.. The spread of democracy, coupled with the need . that exists m the land' 11 forced the offer of peace, I believe. InV'&eptember last, Germans told me that tlie country could not hold out more than three mpnths. To be suve they were (Social Deijfoci-ats, . but with the 1 threatened exhaustion '.[ of supplies, paa'tipularly of jhotsaktoes, which probably- will give out '1$ March—^omfthing tnu»fc be done. Riunania with' its food will only keep things ffping for a short time. Perhaps the soldiera fought harder, knowing food was- there. Perhaps, as an incentive, they were .told that peace •would be offeped if they broke through. "Von Bethmanw-Bollweg was popular with the people while T was m Ger-

many, because ho had «anotio»ed peace meetings. They believed, therefore, that he was advocating peace 011 tlie status quo before the war. The peace offers probably will strengthen his popularity."