Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-14
CHORUS OF DERISION
FROM PARIS PRESS
Morning Papers Say Peace Of
fer is Clumsy Trap Intended
to Divide the Entente.
MAY HELP SOME AT HOME

Paris, Dec. l5.-The offer of peace
of Chancellor Won Bethmann-Hollweg
is received with chorus of derision
in the French press. The news
papers are unanimous that it is an
admission that the situation is getting
critical i'll Germany and that the
chancellor wants a way out before
it is too late. His move is considered
to have the additional advantage that
i'll the event of its failing, it will en-
able him to throw the blame for the
continuation of the war on the allies,
which he hopes will have moal
effect on Germany and the neutral
nations.
Calls 1t Clumsy Bait.
"The time for feints is over"
says the Petit Journal I'VE are no
longer in the presence of the trial
efforts of those persistent appeals TO
interviewers and newspaper articles.
Chancellor -yon Hoffweg Summoned
the Reichstag, not to hear his speech,
but to be confronted with all act. We
do not know if at Berlin there are
people so naive, as to imagine that
the allies are likely to Swallow this
clumsy bait, even on the morrow OF
the events in Roumania. In any case
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg' S
statement shows that the military
cherish no such illusion.
what is still more certain is that
the treacherous German move aims
at something else than genuine peace
1t ceeks an internal and external ef-
feet. In Germany it is intended to
convince the people that the govern
ment is not responsible for the sacri-
fees imposed and that its adversaries
alone are responsible for the contin-
uation of the struggle. Abroad ii
desires to persuade neutrals that the
allies are pursuing policy of ambi-
ton. That is the explanation of the
pretended moderation in the tone oi
the speech.
THE speech merely emphasized e5-
sential weakness which temporary
successes cannot hide" the Petit
Journal continues.
ut is because Germany knows i,
cannot win that it desires to end the
war Its plan, however, is doomed
1t will fail before the immovable res
olution of the. allies"
Mere Talk, Says Matin.
The Matin characterizes the peace
proposals "as mere talk" saying:
They contain no territorial, po-
litical or other conditions which could
serve as a basis of discussion. Ger
many simply says for the hundredth
time that it never desired war and
wishes only to protect its rights and
that if its enemies will not listen it
will throw the blame of further
bloadshed on them. The device is
too obvious. 1t could not deceive
any but the most ignorant.
Another motive is the necessity
of making Germany accept the suffer-
ings and sacrifices of another winter
campaign If only the civilian popu-
lation had to endure this not much
harm would be done, but the army is
beginning to feel the strain. During
the last few weeks rations have been
reduced and in three months time
they will be very poor indeed. Ger
many is compelled to talk of peace,
but it does it as vaguely as possible
in the hope of spreading dissension
among its enemies and keeping IS
coalition together"
Not Worthy of Indignation.
In ar article in the Figaro Alfred
Capus, dramatist and member of the
French academy writes:
What OF the conditions? What
is the whole thing for? We want
peace. TOO, but our peace is not theirs
What, then, arc Germany's condi-
tions' Nothing precise. 1t informs
us only that its pretentions are mod
crate and proposes to us to stop the
war while it defines them. As soon
as we lay down our arms, as soon as
the image of peace shall have done its
work of disturbing our minds and a
peace party shall have been formed in
France, Russia and England, then
Germany will enlighten US on the con-
ditions which it now calls moderate.
Such is the trap. 1t will be met by
us and by our allies with grim con-
tempt, not even with anger. The
maneuver is too clumsy to be worthy