Evening star., 1917-01-07
FROM WAR TO A PERFECT PEACE
Peace Talk
General.


the public in both hemi-
Peach Talk spheres. following In
close order the peace note
L. of the President of the
United States. In view of a peace feast
the neutral Scandinavian nations have
taken their. places. and Spain. too. is
on the alert seeking thus to be first
at the prospective peace table. where
she may dictate possibly to victor and
vanquished the terms which she may
submit to her fellow neutrals
1t appears to be the general opinion
that Germany desires peace and that
her air Of imperial defiance of her foes
should prove to be the case, Germany
knowing full well the conditions her
enemies will impose. IL may be well to
state certain inevitable principles
which must be applied In the transition
cepted primarily is the sine qua non to
negotiations not by the neutral pow
ers. 1t should be remarked with en-
phasis, but by, the chiefs Of the Mill
tary forces in the field; and not by the
any time before have held or at the
peace congress- will hold anything more
than An. advisory situation.
The peace prognostics are specially
Iu8f fhcQ ~ lOIluOtI VI
December 70, Ghich declares that ''the
Marquis, de vtllaiobar. Spanish min
lister to Belgium, has gone to Madrid.
after . visit to Berlin. Rumors In diplo-
matte circles attribute to his visit peace
ready s1f6 concerRing Spain's attitude in
the war and her desire to be the umpfrs
Of peace after the war. terms may be all
ready IN process OF arrangement with Ger
his ministers. is the soul Of honor himself
and may be counted upon always to do
the proper thing. He meant every word
he said when one day. more than usually
provoked by the attitude of one of the
Spanish conservatives, he exciaimed d !:
Only the canai1le and are for France"
There arc many signs that peace--even
perfect peace-is in the air for 1917.
Peace Is being talked about in Germany
and finally. proposed to the neutral ma
tons by the Emperor Of Germany. The
official argument differs widely from that
formerly manifested. Now the emperor
is represented as an ardent partisan Of
peace: II was against his will that Eu-
rope and the world were thrown into war,
and the other day. when he read OF some
evil things charged against Germany, he
is reported to have said: Il did not wish
that y -.
History will get at that from the secret
archives, should II be necessary. The abb
sorbing question of the moment is: How,
after the war, VIII the AFFAIRS Of Europe
be arranged-t1e affairs of the world
that humanity may breathe and be more
happyr'
It is new era that opens II the hor-
rors Of the European war should lead
finally to European unity the door opens
on new horizon. The purpose OF the
European war on the part Of the entente
as avowed Is to make q new Europe. a
good Europe. and in this good Europe
Germany is included.
The treaty of westphaha, concluded
many, France and
The Westphalian sweden which
Treaty Of 164s. thirty thirty wears. ,ss ~ was a.
intended to make a good Europe. but il
failed. The treaties Of 1s14-1S15 had
the same object. but they, too. failed 10
effect their purpose. Talleyrand. who
took such a great part in the congress-
had a very clear idea of their purpose
but in the midst of the elaboration h<
wrote of the exaggerated aggrandize-
ment of Prussia:
ut is evident that Germany after
having lost her own equilibrium can
not serve any longer the general equi-
librium." -
The conferences at The Hague have
for object to establish q mechanism OF
this mechanism was without force. II
not. without soul. 1t was powerless to
prevent war, and had no efiicAcy to re-
establish or combine peace.
Germany" says N. Hanotaux. writ
ing about the peace Of Europe. should
be in Europe an element Of peace, and
not an element Of war. It is a ques-
tion of constituting around Germany g
sort of European confederation which
will work in its place and in it's rank
great breadth of views and great
strength Of heart; they should place
themselves above the passions Of the
moment. get away from the spirit Of
vengeance. refuse to yield to any
weakness or compromises Of parties
inspire themselves with sentiments foi
the people, hold to realities and finally
raise themselves up to an ideal"
Mr.. Asquith in his speech of April l.
1916. to the French group of parfia.
mentarfans. speaking in the name OF
the allied entente. said: >. :
LAS a result of this war we expect to
restore in principle that international
principles should be solved by means
pies. that this rule should never be OBJ
structed or Influenced by tho fmperious
injunctions Of a government controlled
by the military caste. This rs what
understand by destruction Of the mill
tary domination of Prussia, nothing
more. nothing less"
NJ. Hanotaux, In citing the British
statesman. adds: The formula is exi
cel1ent but negative" And he COM
pletes 1t by expressing the hope that
not only PrussiAn militarism should
be destroyed. but that on it's ruins
there should be founded new Europe,
rational Eufope-in word, Europe
completely in equilibrium. 1t is not
SUFFICIENT to destroy; 1t 10 necessary to
construct.
Peace in order to be just should as
sure to peoples who have been victims
of aggression three
What peoce things: The chas-
Should Bring. sponsible, - reparstion
for losses incurred. guarantees for
the future. Justice. victory and treaties
assure the chastisement, the repara-
ton and the guarantees. The three
elements should be combined In such
manner that. the material problem and
the moral. problem may be based on
the limit. Of their human means.
Peace will be in the first place the
peace Of soldiers: 1t will become later
the peace of diplomats. and finally the
peace of arbiters. History closes slowly
the rates of the temple OF Janus, ana