Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-12-29
DIsMISSING THE PILOT.

When the present. Ndiset 'N>
+be ruler of the German empire one
&c his first acts was to make conoi-
+;ons unbearable for Prince Bis
mark. and that great statesman was
eventually compelled TO resign his po-
clifton as German Prime Minister
1o,don Punch, on that occasion pub
.Gshed - cartoon representing Ger
many as Il huge ocean liner. BIS
mark is descending to small pe"''
while the young emperor is watch
;nr from the main deck. One line
under the picture told the story
.sDismissing the Pilot
According to dispatches from Eu-
rope Emperor Charles of austria
Hungary is preparing to perform
similar feat. 1t is said that the new
ruler shows a desire to be independ-
crt of Germany, and is about to DIS
miss all his pilots and go it alone
Austria. it is alleged Is anxious TO
end the war. and is ready to make
separate overtures to Italy. Inc
country of Charles is nearly ruined
as = result of the war, and the new
ruler is not disposed to go down with
Germany.
If conditions in Germany and Aus
tria Hungary are approximately
what the dispatches from different
European capitals state. it is high
time the beiliGerents were becoming
clothed and in their right minds" "
Starvation is said to face the great
mass of the inhabitants, while people
have dropped in the streets and en-
pired from starvation and others have
been driven to suicide.
While there is still much uncer
tainty as to the outcome of pending
peace overtures, there seems TO be
hopeful glimmer running through
them all.
Germany, it was made known in
Washington yesterday, will not per-
nit the road to peace negotiations to
he blocked by refusal of the entente
belligerents to enter conference
without proper knowledge Of her
terms. 1t has been forecast that the
Entente Powers would base Il refu-
sal on such condition.
The Central Powers are represent
ed as willing to permit Il contiden-
tial exchange Of broad tentative terms
through President Wilson, should it
become necessary to do So to bridge
the gap which threatens to prevent a
gathering of peace delegates. There
are broad intimation that 4 state
ment of this position BY Germany
either had been communicated to the
United States Government or soon
would be.
William Bayard Halcs. wires from
Berlin that Germany's RESPONSE to
President Wilson is in full agreement
with the concilatory spirit, which
animated the Thanksgiving interview
Chancellor Won BethmannH ollwe%
granted the correspondent.
Two things on the face of the pres
cnt situation deserve recognition:
First. The promptitude Of Ger
many'S response, which was deliver
cd practically instantaneously, con-
sidering that it arrived in the Christ
mas holidays. when Wilhelmstrasse
was practically deserted.
Second That it was transmitted
openly BY wireless, because the re-
sponsc is a candid utterance intend
ed for the ears Of The whole world.
But far bcyoad these superficial
considerations lies the fact that the
German response to the President
bodily carries the whole subject Of
tie restoration OF. peace to an advanc-
c,i and lightly elevated stage in its
dramatic challenge to the helliger-
cnts to meet at some neutral point
immediately for an exchange Of
views towards the ending of the
slaughter BY the exercise Of human
reason.
Fast and far has moved, this
Christmastide, the peace impulse
within lths bosom Of the suffering
wcrld.
III may he that peace is nearer