Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-12-14
GERMANY'S PEACE MOVE

l.
overtures is received in England and
France with contempt, while the
threats of German newspapers OF u
war of frightfulhess in case Teutonlc
suggestions are rejected are harm
less thunderbolts in the camps OF
the. allies. London and Paris news
papers are defiant, and say that un-
less their original aims are accom-
plished the war will go on. There is
much unnecessary fierceness mani
tested on both sides, and until this
gives way to reason, nothing dell
mite looking toward peace y posi-
BILE
The German offer Of peace is, OF
course, meaningless until the exact
terms upon which it proposes peace
arc stated. And there has been no
official statement of those terms.
Pending such statement, it is just
as foolish to charge Germany with
insincerity as TO claim that 1t Is SIN
cere. The outbreak of the Daily Mail,
Lord Northcliffe's organ, asserting
no peace with 4 nation of tigers and
murderers and statesmen VINO re-
gard Ill treaties as scraps OF paper
would be worth paper and INK Is
equally foolish
1t is believed in many quarters
that Germany may be in straits
which will compel her 10 accept such
peace terms as would constitute the
achievement of the ends for which
the Allies have BEEN. fighting. 1t
would, Of course. be nnwise-fof tie
Allies to continue fighting for ends
which can be secured. now BEFORE
rejecting Germany's proposal it Will
be necessary for her enemies to ma
out what she proposes.
The real motive of the chancellor
NAV have been to appeasc the ciam"r
for cessation of the war in his own
country.
The New York Evening Post says
in order to appreciate the immense
significance of the steps toward
peace which the German Government
announces. it is only necessary 10
recall what its attitude has been Tor
more than year past. 1t has bean
an absolute non possumus. Germany
could never take the initiative. She
was, to lie sure. ready for an homo
rable" peace, but not hers was the
responsibility of beginning the nego-
tiations. Again and again the Ger
man Chancellor has washed his hands
in the presence of the whole world.
The war, was, indeed an appalling
thing. But the blame for contlnu-
ING the awful bloodshed and deepen
ing the misery must rest upon the
Allies. Germany could only fight on
and wait for them to make the first
proposals. But now Germany makes
them. The Chancellor admits that
she and her allies have q deep res
possibility under God" for making a
move to end the war.
This is a great change. IT it sig
nifes an acknowledgment of weak
ness in the German position, the Ger
man Government no longer heslta>
ties to make it. Nor can it be said
that the capture of Bucharest and
the collapse of Roumania have been
seized upton as an excuse; for 1T Is
plain that the negotiations with Vein
ma and Sofia and Constantlnople,
looking toward the present offers,
we're undertaken before those events
We seem. therefore, to have before
us proof that the prolonged strain,
and the demonstrated impossfbility
of complete victory for German
arms, have impelled the German
rulers to do what six months ago they
declared that they could not do
that is. making definite advances for
peace. The demand for peace upon
any reasonable terms must have been
stronger among the German people
than we knew. It must be that Ger
many's bankers and manufacturers
aud ship-owncrs have been moving
quietly but insistently to seek an end
to conditions which are more and
more threatening them with RUN.
whateyerS else: the news proves, and
Whatever the form s:si.d details OF
thesG errn,r peace proposals may tutn