The evening world., 1916-12-13
Must BE Made to Allies Jointly,
Declares the Westminster
Gazette.
IS CALLED "OLD TRICK"
Daily Mail klouts Terms With
"a Nation of Tigers and
Murderers."

/ says the westminster Gazette, "Is
aware that the war Is producing
great unrest among neutrals, and II
! Is 70 them rather than TO us. in tho
I first Instance. that she Is making her
/ appeal IL Is here that
Germany has prepared her ground,
and II Is here that we have to meet
I her.
we must be careful from the out
set not to be manoeuvred onto ground
on which we shall seem to be In the
wrong. Tho allies must not refuse
TO listen 70 any proposals laid before
them In a regular manner, but they
must say plainly that their engage
ment to act together Is incontestable: (:
that all proposals must be made TO
them Jointly and that none will have
the slightest chance OF being consid
cred whNh Imply that any of them
/ should estray the others.
| IF 1t Is proposed that the western
powers should desert Russia and
leave the central powers to do as
they pleased with Serbia. Greece and
Roumania In return for a mere status
quo In the west. the peace de marchc
will end before II has begun"
The newspaper concludes that the
allies must explain to the American
people-whose main pre- occupation Is
Belgium and France. It comments
and who have no interest In the east
ern phase Of the struggle-the Euro
pean question as the Entente sees Il
and persuade them to work II not for
a mere patching up which will lead to
another war after a short breathing
space. but for a real reconstruction
which will secure peace and give life
and energy to free institutions.
Lord Northcliffe's Daily Mail. which
led tho fight that made Mr.. Lloyd
George Prime Minister. scorns the
German peace proposals.
The nation has wound up the old
gang In the very nick of time" II
says. 1T must have been a source Of
no little annoyance to Won Bethmann-
Hollweg-when he once more pro-
duced In the Reichstag the impudent
old peace trick which by this time Is
becoming as hackneyed as conjurlng
rabbits out OF a hat-that the Hal
dane camarilla were no longer In
ofhce In Great Britain TO argue seri-
ously with him and be fooled into In
activity by his meaningless speech.
"Bethmann- Hollweg is no more en-
titled to tho courtesy OF n reply than
IL he were an armed burglar In a pri-
vate house. HIS offer would never
nave been made " he were In his
heart half as confident OF victory as
he professed to De.
Three factors have produced It:
The first Is the Battle OF the Somme.
wher. the enemy has received a ter
rlhc hammering; the second factor is
the heavy German losses on other
parts OF the west front and the other
fronts; the third factor Is empty
stomachs.
THE allies kpow that no peace with
q nation OF us&ys and murderers and
statesmen who regard all treaties ss
! scraps OF paper would be worth the
paper and Ink. So long as Germany
has not been completely and decisively
beaten no peace with her can be
more than truce. which she would
violate the first moment IL served her
purpose"
The Daily News takes this position /:
The move may be supposed 10 have
three main objects In view. The first
| Is to compel the allies to face "A prob
lem which must be faced eventually,
a problem. that is. OF the terms on
which they are prepared to make
peace, He expects that absence OF a
common policy Will bring them into
conflict and he stands to profit by the
issues.
'ln the second place. his aim Is to
put us wrong with the neutral world.
Especially his eye 10 on the United
States, where several significant inoi-
dents have happened OF late which
are disgusting to the allies.
'In the third place. his aim is OBJ
viously to justify his Government in
the eyes of his own people.
"Germany's proposal bears no rela =
tion whatever to the objects for which
we are fghting," says the Times.
"She has been trying by all the means
at her disposal to induce us to make
the suggestion of mediation. The at
tempt has lamentably and conspicu-
OuSlN ihlltut tnIt iH Nnt nOtB not
judge that any neutral power could
proffer mediation with much advan
tage, she falls back on this indirect
Offer 20 the belligercnts as a pls aller.
The allies must absolutely reject any
idea OF mediation in any shape and
! from any quarter as long rs the basis
proposed Is the triumph OF might and
| not right"
"Gcrmany's cue was 10 snatch n
military victory to balance the hve
great military defeats which They
suffered in tho western Italian and
Russian theatres" said the Dali,
| Chronicle. land then at tho top O.
their tcrritorial conquest TO come for.
ward with an appeal for the cessa
tion of bloodshcd and an offer a
peace on as-you- were terms, which
in such circumstances, could b,
given "a false air OF generosity"
The Daily telegraph asserts "oI
unimpeachahle authority" Germa n,
recently offered peace To Belgium
declaring that nation would be re
stored and granted financial assist
ance, with guarantee Of it's indepen
deGve II Belgium accepted. n re
fused IA" Daily Telcgraph's inform
: ant said Germany gaN0 the intima
+ lion tha' Bolgium's very oXistcnc,
+ her monuments, public buildings an