The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-12-22
ALLIES CONFIDENT
REFUSE TO DISCUSS PEACE UN=
TIL THEY HAVE WON
SAY FOE CAN NOT LAST
Washington Hears Of Peace Plans,
Huge Indemnity Wanted and Naval
Blockade is to Enforce 1t-Sen1i-
Official Hint Of One of Chief Terms
Of Peace.

Several American newspapers have
received from what might be de-
scribed as a. semi-official source as
intimation OF. one argument the Allies
expect to- use in getting satisfactory
terms from the Teutonic empires once
commissioners meet about the council
table to discuss peace.
This. information confirms private
suggestions that the Allies, in spite
Of their recent Feyerses, means to
carry the war to the point where they
can demand Large indemnity from
Germany and Austria.
This information is conveyed in
the following statement:
Zone Of the main points Of the
Allies peace terms is that on no
account will the German mercan-
tile flag be permitted to be seen
upon the high seas until full in
Identification has been paid. The
Allies have the power to do this
and mean to use it to the full ex-s
tent" =.
1t is doubtful if this pronounce
Inent has any immediate application
to the situation in Europe. DR.. Won
Bethmann-Hollweg, the imperial Ger
man chancellor, told the reichstag on
Thursday that when the enemies of
Germany came: forward with peace
proposals compatible with the dignity
and safety of Germany and her
friends these proposals would be lis
tened to.
The day before Premier Asquith
said that if serious proposals OF peace
were received from the Allies enc
mics they would be considered by the
allied governments. Neither Of these
statements promised oyertures in the
near future.
One suggestion as to the Allies
attitude toward peace is that the
statement comes just at the time
when the remarks of the German
chancellor and the British prime min
lister are in the public mind. The
statement, it is pointed out, may: give
German officials food for thought as
TO the loss Of German trade, even
should German arms continue for the
time being their far-flung successes.
Whenever peace runlors have float
ed over Europe-and many have
seemed to come from Germany--the
Allies have made it plain that they
were not ready to talk peace. This
reticence on the part of the allied
governments was taken to mean that
they intended to press the war to
successful conclusion, and that they
felt nothing could be gained by lend
ing an ear to peace proposals while
German armies in all directions were
far outside German frontiers. The
suggestion to-day seems to look to
the time when Germany will be fight
ing on her own territory, or at least
within. striking distance OF German
soil.
Talk of indemnity has always been
coupled with the idea that it would
be needed for the habilitation of
Belgium, and more recently of Bel
GUM and Serbia. But an --smnitv
is difficult to collect. Japan, though
she had driven the Russian armies at
will, finally withdrew the demand
for payment in gold.
The Allies, however, once the ques-
ton of peace brought up the subject
of indemnity, would be in a better
position to enforce their demands. If
the war came down to formal siege
in all theatres, the British navy could
hold the German merchant fleet in
definitely in pawn. The indemnity
might be asked in the way Of re-
demption for the merchant fleet.