Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-12-12
Germas Peace ProposaA Stroke at the Strategic Moment

Gefmans has called for peace AT the moment when
her fortunes Of have reached The highest relative
point sin,e that day on the Marine which rolled her
armies back from before Paris.
That day aud lis long succession of events. mill.
tary and political fresh in mind Never since
Won kluck's men we're repnsed at The very gates Of
the French capital have the Central Powers held
such an advantageous position Ia ak peace terms
today. That is. from the standpoint Of military
victories won.
After losing their great chance To take Paris and
end the war before Great Britain and Russia could
really get into action The Germans dug themselves
in the west and held on. With minor changes.
the line the is the same today as il was then
On the east there began the long and terrible tides
OF bloody warfare ebbing and flowing over Poland
Galicia and BukOwina.
When Britain and Russia struck al Turkey the
Central Powers responded with the political bar
gain which won over Bulgaria. and the military
coup which DESTROYED Serbia as a nation and open
ed an unbroken line of communication trade and in
fuence from Berlin To ConstantinopIe Meanwhile
the battlelnes were taut east and west While
the Balkans were witnessing the formidable thrlsts
OF Germany and Austria and while Italy was slow,
~ gnawng into Austrian territory the southwest
the lines in Flanders and France and from Riga TO
the Carpathians, stretched ever tighter.
The war on land was almost at staemate when
the Entente Allies made their move with Rumana.
True the Russians with renewed strength were fore
ing back the Teuton lines ON The southeast sectors
aud the west the Allies making their gallant
thrust on the Somme. but every foot of advance was
paid for in enormous of life and war material
and II had become question which side could sac
ritce the most men.
Aside from the purely military successes fall
urps. the Allies waging relentless economic
fight against the Central Powers having forged the
famous iron ring and cut off the enemy from every
ounce of food, every pound of metal every yard of
cloth whcheouId by any Interpretation of interna-
tional law be declared contraband The Allies had
wiped ont Germanys overseas possessions and all
the borne traffic Of the Central Powers was gone
As the war developed into contest of sacrificing
men, il developed also into merciless effort the
part Of the Entente Powers TO bring the enemy pow
ers 10 their knees from economic want
To meet tli& tht central Powers organized and
reorganized every Industry; farmed every yard of
earth available in the empires with every power OF
science they possessed drew from hthertounused
resources cut their consumption TO an unexpected
II low point In their economic struggle they were
helped out this year moreover, by very good har
vest Coningon top of the short crops of last year
the new Yields gave to thel Teutons renewed con-
idence that they could hold until the cruel cost
Of the w9f convinced the Eutentes the conflict could
NOT be continued.
The war might be likened to the struggle Of two
giants st first they fought with tremendous speed
and fury circling, darling in and out striking rap
idly. Finally their swords became sbrolen., their
shields battered they lost much blood As their
swords failed to win victory, they dropped the
Weapons and wrested thigh TO thigh and shoulder
TO shoulder. AS their gigantic strengths ebbed they
came slowly to the ground locked in holds like vises
AT length they lay PROSTATE, glarng hate at each
other each striving to throttle the other into submis
sion.
The figure of speech is not entirely applicable. il
is true and supporters of each side will probably
take issue with the statement that both lying
PROSTATE, yet the world knows that the soldiers in
The trenches weary of vigil and slaughter; the
peoples at home are weary of sorrow, suffering, pr
walton the governments are weary of the terrific
financial DRAIN the darkness of the future the neu
TlnlIUrQT OTIID ln0IIINIIO z