Norwich bulletin., 1916-02-24
CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH
 ALLIES WOULD END WAR.
Brought Up in the House of Com mons by Philip Snowden, Socialist.


 London, Feb. 2S, 5.14 p. m.-Philip Snowden, socialist member for Black burn, took advantage of the discussion of the governments consolidated fund bill in the house of commons today to raise the question of conditions under which it would be possible to bring the war to an end with the object for which the allies were fighting realized.
 He contended that prolongation of the war could be justified only by the reasonable expectation that through It's continuance the allies should De in a position to dictate such terms as to secure future European peace. lie agreed that the present military sit uation was not necessarily evidence that a decisive military victory might not yet come to the allies although few men who took an intelligent and dispassiOnate view of the situation and the lessons it had taught would say that there was any reasonable ground for hope of decisive and crushing military victory for either contendinE party.
 If Great Britain was determined to continue in the expectation of crush pie ought to be convinced that it was the best method for establishing the | international relations of the European powers. He, however, believed that | a continued attempt to crush Germany would be the worst basis for the es- tablishment of a just and lasting set i clement.
 The speaker declared that all the | nations and especially Germany, were being driven to aCG@pt the evidence | furnishd by this war of tn futility of | militarism and tn time was therefore | ripe for making a movement in the d. | rection of peace. In particular, MT.
 Snowden maintained that the German | socialists were solidly in favor of | peace, no wthat it had been proven external attack
 Roth MT. Snowden and Charles Phil | ips Trevelyan, liberal member for | York who followed along similar lines, | were listened to in silence, but | when Premier Asquith replied, his speech was punctuated with loud out bursts of cheers. This was especial | ly the case when the premier said he | would like it to go forth to the world | that Messrs- Snowden and Trevelyan l were spokesmen for any substantial | body of public opinion. He even
 doubted where they spoke for their l own constituencies and certainly, he l declared they did not speak for dem- ocratic opinion.
 l The premier welcomed MT. Snow | dens admission that the country was | as one and would remain of one mino \ in demanding that the conditions of l peace SHOulu De SUCH dS IO ScCuTe IH0 permanent attainment of the national | aim. ! There is absolute unity in the | country he declared.
 | The premier declared that Mir. | Snowden's statement on the military | situation was a matter of opinion.
 'Tt is not mine" was his com | ment.
 The real gist of Mo- Snowden's | speech, added the premier, was the l contention that a genuine desire for peace exists in Germany. As evidence | of this there was the report of the de- l bate in the reichstag and the chan | celIor's speech in which he said he
 would welcome approaches from any
 quarter but did not say he was ready | to make approaches himself. | The premier referred in biting terms ! to the chancellor's statement that | Germany was not the enemy of small | nations and characterized the state
 ment as colossal and smaleless au-
 daci'' after Germany's treatment of
 Belgium and Serbia