The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-24


 have an echo?
 Louisville Herald: Where is Sir Edward Grey? It was officially announced that he was overworked and needed a holiday And then he went on his holiday. Where did he go? The earth opened up and swal- lowed him. And ever since the earth has been burdened with strange rumors in which he had no part and yet behind which he may very well have stood. For they are peace rumors, accommodation rumors, get-to-gether and give-and-take rumors.
 It Is true, of course, that Sir Edward repeatedly and emphatically, has discred- ited and denied every such rumor It is true that, more than any member of the British cabinet, he has come out, fiat footed as we say on this side, for the rigor of the game, for it's penalties and for it's honors. Others might go half way toward a mutual understanding. Others might take steps in the direction of a compro- mise. Not Fir Edward. No half loaf for him.
 And yet his disappearance is coincident, as We have said, with the recrudescence of more pacific trial balloons than a man can throw a stick at. Whence do they derive? What do they mean? Or, have they any meaning at all beyond the hope and the desire of those who father them?
 In the very center of all the peace talk stands today, as before, Austria Hungary. Since any settlement implies surrender by somebody the combatants. when they do not turn to Turkey, look hopefully on the dissmilar provinces of the Austria Hungarian empire; they divide them up with really charming unconcern for the rights or the aspirations of tine Austro- Hungarians Pennsylvania and the Bulko- wina to Roumania. which has done noth- ing but sulk, in exchange for which she returns to Bulgaria certain Danubian territory. Galicia to Russia, which, adding thereto Russian Poland and a slice of East Prussia, is expected to erect a Polish principality autonomous but under Rus- sian protection. To Servia the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. To Italy what ever she may want, and her wants gain from day to day, appetite, as the French proverb has it, growing on what she has to feed on. To everybody something. One of the queerest angles to all this peace talk, back of which actually there seems to be something, is that, so far, nobody has suggested anything that Great Britain is to get unless it be the dsmantling of the German fleet and the possession of Gernany's colonies in Africa, which Eng Lland could do very well without and which Germany has certainly not done -rery well with.
 And yet Sir Edward Grey is on his trav- els. Sir Edward Grey, the mystery man. of the Asquith cabinet; one who speaks | rarely but speaks. IS the Russians say, full of words. Where is he? What is he doing? And why?
 It is all very well for Britain to insist that she will fight until Germany is hum- bled and German militarism in the dust and Kaiserdom discredjted and the Hohen- | zollerns and the Hapsburg sent south, as far south as may be. And then it is right to remember that a caustic observer early in the game spoke of England fight ing until the last Frenchman. The truth lies somewhere between the two England has never waged war to the death in modern times. Waterloo, over which Great Britain has never ceased eel kind typifed by the phrase about the last Frenchman. There were Belgians and Hanoyerians, and a medley of others be- sides the nucleus of English But Yelling l tor was in command and that makes Brit ishers of all of them.
 | England is not tired out. Neither is ! Germany. But both are getting weary. Pretty soon both will be asking, What s the use?'' And both will remember that | Mafelxing opened the way to an honor able understanding and that, this side of Elysium, no one gets his hearts de-