The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-12-14
THURSDAY, DECEMBER IA, 1916
The Kaiser,s Master Stroke.

The emperor of Germany has proved
his greatness. Whether that greatness
shall come as an apostle Of peace or
Of the craftiness Of the "War Lord, 4
is a good deal of conjecture. With his
victorious armies siezing kingdom,
with the tide of the most cruel and
relentless war in history inclining to
his arms, he has boldly declared, !" Let
Us Have Peace"
True enough, Re has laid down the
terms on which peace is to be secured
and it remains to be seen whether his
terms are announced as basis for
parley or negotiations or whether they
are fat as immovable as the laws Of
the Modes and Persians. Future de-
velopments must prove the sincerity
of the kaiser in his call for peace.
There can, however, be no denying
Of the fact that in his suggestion of
peace he has opened the way for more
relentless war. The kaiser asks peace
not as defeated vassal, but as vic
torious conqueror. His proposal of
peace is in answer to the insistent
claim of much Of the civilized world
that Germany was responsible for
war; If peace is declined by the
enemies of Germany, the kaiser will be
in the position to shout back LET
loose Of the dogs of war; and he will
be ready to follow it up with Damned
be he who first cries, Hold! Enough -
The terms on which the kaiser sug-
gests peace are interesting. They offer
little as reward to himself and his
allied nations for the bloodshed of war.
They make little difference in the map
Of Europe. There are things in his
suggestions which appeal strongly to
the people Of America.
Free Poland" and "Free Lithua-
MIA" are greatly to be desired. These
people have given the full measure of
suffering to maintain the balance of
power in Europe and by their suffering
they have won the right to considera-
tion as free kingdoms or as independ-
emit republics. They should be permit
ted to work out their own destiny.
There is regret that in his program
for peace, the German s War Lord did
not add to 1t provision for the free.
dom Of tho Armenians and provision
for surer and better protection of the
Christians in Syria against the perse-
cution of Pagan Turkey.
The terms of peace offered show lit
tie consideration for either England oil
Russia. We in this country have not
been inclined TO regard the rights OF
Russia but it must be remembered that
it has been Russia and France and a
few minor countries who have borne
the brunt of the war. England has
contributed, but the real fighting forces
in Europe have been Germany, Austria
France and Russia. More of France in
Europe is greatly to be desired. In
military annals there is no parallel of
the bravery of the French and people
who have looked at the war from the
standpoint of neutrality have hoped
that Alsace and Lorraine might be the
reward of the French for the part they
have had in the desperate fighting.
Americans view the suggestion of
peace with mingled feelings of hope
for humanity and fear for status of
their own national life. 1t is doubtful
II the United States is ready for peace
Peace, if it comes is going to bring
conditions to which it is going to be
difficult for great industries of>the
United States to accommodate them.
selves. Peace may end false pros
perity in this country, but the people
of the United States are great enough
in their humanity to be willing to sa-
crifce material prosperity in order to
give their aid to ending war which
has been a disgrace to humanity.
Possibly under the influence of the
star of hope which shines in all its
radiance in this time of the Christmas
season the kaiser has hit upon a for
tunate time to make this appeal for
peace. We, as Americans, can do lit
tie to advance the cause of peace. The
moral support of the neutral nations
will undoubtedly be given to the move
ment England must decide whether
she is to accept this chance Of parley
or declare for relentless war What
ever may be the outcome, the kaiser
has shifted any responsibility which
may have rested at the door of the
Teuton to the door of the British and
the French.