Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-27

LONDON, oct. 1.-THE big fact mere
today is that peace is around the corner
and England refuses to look around the cor
ner She is looking straight ahead and
going straight ahead, and she is going TO
arrive where she wants to arrive exactly
when she wants to and by the road she
wants to go.
1t would be n mistake to think that Lloyd
Georges speech was a bluff or that ne was
speaking merely as Minister of war. Inc
Premjer's IMPRESSIVE address to the House
of Commons backed Lloyd George up, as
was only natural. But there has been other
backing more important still. II came from
the man in the street. The last thing the
people of Great Britain want now IL you
take the great majority of them as guide'
is an immediate peace. Why?
The Minister of War made his speech to
America almost Immediately after trip
TO France which was not a great success
and which led to some severe criticlsm'
A bitter opponent of Lloyd George said to
me the day after the interview, He's
clever man. He had to shut up his critics
and he chose the one thing which he knew
would bring out the widest popular sup
port-no premature peace" But that very
remark indicates the truth. Whatever
Lloyd Georges motives may have been' he
knew what was in the Englishman's heart
and he said IL.
Another man, who is making himself
terribly unpopular by insisting on media
tion at once, told me that Lloyd George
had done irreparahle harm to the cause of
the Allies because he told the truth. Eng
land does not want peace now. She does
not want peace unless she is in position
to dictate the terms. IF the Germans
| really want peace" he went on, they
| can get II in fortnight. All they need to
do Is to get out Of France. Our people
will take Belgium for granted"
Five days before the interview was pub
| lished a man ION the inside" warned me
againstit It, He gave me the basis of Eng
| lands position, as an official might have
given 1t, and 1t is worth quoting.
Not Revenge, But Security
Before the month is out" he said. "there
| will be a great revival of peace talk. and
| II will come through the United States.
| Papers and individuals who were strongly
| anti-German will begin TO say that Ger
many was wrong TO begin with; but that IL
/ no reason for England to go on, now that
| Germany confesses her mistake. The blood
| of the last two years may be on Ger
| manys head. The blood Of the next year
| thew will try to put on ours. But you must
| see that IL we are fighting for anything al
| all, we are fighting for this-that Germany
shall never again have the power TO say
| when there shall be peace and when there
| shall be war In Europe It's not revengs
we want but security. IL we allow Ger
many TO say that there shall be peace By
December we allow her TO say that ther,
| shall be war again when she Is ready
That power must never be IN the hands o.
one nation again and the only way We car
preyent the exercise OF that power Is I,
beat Germany decisively. That's why vi
have 10 go on"
OF course, II you DO not believe tina
England depends on peace for her life.
yoa think she really wanted this war AM
was glad OF the chance, you may suspec
that statement This Is no place for argu
nnsnt on those questions. Merely as fact
should be romembered that the Englis
people did not want war In 1914 and d
want II now, 20 the ffiish.
The first reason Is that England think
what neutrals thnk-that Germany ha
lost the war. and II is only question Q
, | from twelve TO eighteen months befor
, ahe will acknowledge a terrible defea
But there Is something else That y IN
| realization. limited at above, that German
, / was the greatest Power OF Europe froI
/ | 500 70 August. 1914. and the grim resoiy
, | that II any one Power 10 to be the create.
| n IA 10 be England There II growing a
: a sentiment as powerful as Il Is fine rigf
mere IN England that the whole idea
| wrong that the nations or Europe togethe
! | are 10 have the power. Hut In the meal
time. II there Is 10 be one superior natio
; Il must be England.
} BECAUSE England knows now that sh
! need never have yielded the noble place I
I Germany at ell The war has made Ems
land conscious Of her terrible might Sh
4 thought she WAS weak. She knows tha
!. nhe q st1ong A Scot who has lived
England for nfteen years was TALKING
- about the British Eupts ms Bis fs<