The Waikato Times With which is incorporated The Waikato Argus. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1918. GERMANY'S PEACE MOVE

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13889, 15 October 1918, Page 4

The Waikato Times With which is incorporated The Waikato Argus. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1918. GERMANY'S PEACE MOVE

The German Government is displaying considerable adroitness in dealing with the peace campaign. It is anxious to bring about a conference, and in order to do so is apparently making all sorts of concessions to the feelings of the Allies. Knowing the intense feeling against the Kaiser, it has encouraged reports regarding his abdication, and Herr Erzberger, the leader of the Catholic Centre Party, loudly proclaims that the civil Government has asserted itself and that militarism is for ever ended in Germany. These are astute moves, but there is little danger of the Allies being deceived thereby. They have repeatedly declared that they would not sit at a council table with the representatives of the parly who were directly responsible fur the launching of the Great War, which Germany has waged with such brutality and frightfulness, and the fact that that party is for the nonce content to allow itself to be eclipsed and permit a civilian government to even temporarily hold sway, indicates the straits to which the country has been reduced. Xo one can really believe that the position is as Dr. Solf and Ilerr Erzberger would have us believe. Such gigantic changes as those portrayed, if genuine, could only be brought about by a complete social upheaval in Germany, and it is ludicrous to imagine that the greatest of present-day autocracies should become so intensely democratic without so much as the flicking of an eyelid. If things were really as Germany now sets forth, there would be some evidence of the change by the way in which she conducts war, v and for this we look in vain. If the Civil Government were paramount, it would surely assert itself by decreeing the cessation.of the ruthless methods which have made the German nation under the military regime stink in the nostrilg of civilisation. So far from this being the case, we find that the submarine campaign has been revived with much greater ferocity, while the harrowing stories of wanton destruction from devastated France show that if the (Jeriyans have changed their head they have not altered their policy. The only concession made in the German message is practically that they are ready to evacuate occupied territories, provided that the Allies are prepared to treat on the remaining points set fortli by President Wilson. This is impossible. President Wilson has already notified Germany that the li points constitute the Allies' irreducible demands; that they are not a basis for discussion, but an ultimatum to be either accepted or rejected. The crimes of which Germany has been guilty forbid any bargaining with her. This is not a war of interests, but a conflict of principles, and, as Lord Hugh Cecil expressed it in a recent address, "Moloch must be humiliated in the sight of all his votaries if they are to accept a purer faith"—the German people must he convinced of the blindness of their guides and the unwortliiness of their national ideals ere a permanent peace can he assured. There is danger at a peace conference, and it would be folly for the. Allies to make the slightest concession In the enemy, who must be forced to accept a dictated peace. The only proper and safe line fur us lo take is to regard the German rulers as criminals in the dock Upon whom sentence is to be pronounced. Nothing else will kill the crime of militarism, and if this war is no| being fought to kill militarism it is being fought to no purpose. A judge on the bench does not negotiate with the criminal in the dock. This is not to say that the terms imposed upon Germany should be, in any sense vindictive. We are very clear in our own minds thai we should be defeating our own purpose if our peace terms contained even :1 hint that it was desirable lo bring about wantonly the national destruction of Germany. The best

judges have always boon men who loaned to humanity, and when we present our terms to Germany; informing her that she must cither accept them entirely or continue to be crushed in the field, we would even go so far as to make a distinction between the authors of German crime and the German people, even though the latter have undoubtedly aided and abetted that crime. If the German Government refused our terms because popular clamour in Germany was not strong enough to force them to yield, we should be entitled to regard both the Government and the people in Germany as in an equal decree criminals. The unconditional surrender of Germany is the onlysafe insurance for the world. The enemy is now beaten to his knees. It would be folly to permit him to recover to resume the conflict after a brief breathing space.