Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1916 THE PEACE PROPOSALS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11104, 21 December 1916, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1916 THE PEACE PROPOSALS.

JUDGING from the tone of public opinion as expressed in Britain, France, Russia and Italy, from and the scrappy infox-mation sent us by cable, there is little .probability of the German peace terms being even accepted as a basis sufficient to warrant a conference. That being so the terms are being simply acknowledged and refused as insufficient, no counter liroposals being made, esoept by a general declaration on the lines of those made previously by the Allied Governments. The German peace terms'generally are understood to moan a return to pre-war conditions. A very little consideration of the subject will show why such a proposal cannot be accepted, and, indeed, could not be given effect to, for the changes tnat have taken place in international relations cannot be reversed. Who, for instance, amongst us, would agree to at once resume the pre-war trade relations with Germany? Who is the person, however much he may be against the continuation of the war, who would assert that Armenia should be again put under the rule of the Turks with the almost certain result of the massacre of the remnants of the inhabitants. What politician, even out of Russia, could suggest that Turkey, after her treacherous entrv of the war against ns, should c. allowed to retain the command of the Bospho xxs and the Dardanelles, the natural outlet by sea of Russian commerce? After the proof we have had of German domination of Turkey, and which the completion of the Biagdad railway would facilitate and assist to render permanent, that British statesman would consent to a withdrawal from Mesopotamia, thus giving German intriguers another opportunity to exercise a baneful influence in Persia and become a disturbing element to our rule in India? Gonld the French and Belgian people whose homes have been destroyed , whose relatives have been massacred, or whipped into slavery and,,treat6d worse than beasts of burden, com’ prebend the possibility of a return to pre-war conditions? There must be thousands of French and Belgian soldiers now at the front, who, because of Qerman|barbarity will never again see a single member of their family alive, and thousands of others whose wives and daughters will only meet them with shame.

Is the world as base as the Germau and say there shonld no punishment? The pirate of the old days drowned the passengers of a ship he had robbed because “dead men tell no tales,” but the German pirate is too base to be ashamed of his act, because when he sinks a ship like the Lusitania and drowns a thousand non-combatants £hls people call him a hero and befiag their towns in honour of the event. Are such acts on the seas to be condoned with those of the Zeppelin raids? Will we dishonour the name of Captain Fryatt and take the hands of his murderers in peace fellowship without exacting some recompense to his family and asserting the injustice of his execution Here it is impossible to realise the horrors the northern French and . the Belgians have had to suffer from the Germans, and the bitter feeling that must exist against these barbarians in consequence, but the following extract from the letter of a German soldier will give some idea of them. Schenfele Carl, 3rd Regiment of Barbarian Infantry of the Landwehr, wrote; —

’’bn the night of the 18th or 19th August the village of Saint Maurice as punishment for having fired on the 2nd, 13th and 17th German Regiment was surrounded by our soldiers at about a yard apart in such a way that no one could escape. Then the Uhlans (German cavalry) set fire to every bouse. Neither man, woman nor child c’ould come but. We took out most of the cattle. Whoever tried to escape was shot. All the inhabitants then in the village were burned with it. Another German soldier wrote: — “the first French town we entered after crossing the frontier was destroyed It was a spectacle sad yet agreeable. All the French civilians are shot if only they are suspected of evil designs against us: the men and even youths.” Several other proofs of German barbarity are cited besides those above in* M. Gabriel Hanotan’s history of the war, all on unimpeachable authority. But irrespective of the oonsidexatioiis referred to above there

be a peace on the terras proposed, because it would enable Germany to issue from the struggle militarily triumphant: her fleet intact, her manufactories well • qnipped, ready to grapple with her opponents in war or trade after a short breathing time. Having received a severe lesson from Britain as to the value of a powerful navy Germany would set to in earnest to build one that should rival ours. Thus, with the prestige of her successful military operations, the objects of pan-Ger-manism still in view, and the intolerable conceit of the leaders of Germany an occasion would soon be found for commencing another war.