Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-25


the kaisers throne mistaken and his
autocracy unthreatened.
Whatever may have been the In
viously are made with an eye single
to Germany's interests. They are the
terms Of conqueror who is looking
to future conquests, not those OF a
tired warrior who is crying quits. They
offer the world NO more security than
It had in July, 1914, although they
contemplate a greater Germany and
the realisation of a big share of the
kaiser's Mittel Europa dream OF en-
Ipire.
The proposal to leave the future of
Alsace-Lorraine to a plebiscite OF the
inhabitants is tantamount to surren-
dering that territory.
The third and fourth items in the
purported list of terms, however,
would give Germany more than the
equivalent of Alsace-Lorraine. by per-
hitting her practical suzerafnty over
all the Russian provinces bordering
on the Black sea, the Baltic and Prus-
STA and by giving Austria suzera1nty
over free" Poland.
That b the basis Of the MittGl Eu-
ropa plan toward which the kaiser has
been pointing his forces for so many
years.
The touch Of humor which appears
In the list Of terms is supplied by the
second item, which proposes that the
money for rehabilitation of Belgium.
Servia, Rumania and northern France.
where the Teutons have held a three
years orgy Of destruction and bar
barity, shall be furnished by Great
Britain in payment for the German
provinces in Africa which have been
wrested from the Teutons by British
and Belgian armies.
The so-called German terms pro-
vide for the restoration Of the old
boundaries Of Servia, Montenegro and
Rumania, with Servia being given &C
cess to the sea. They provide also
that the peace conference shall con-
sicer and decide the questions OF dis
armament, freedom Of the seas ana
world commerce. And in four words
they prescribe that Turkey shall re-
main intact.
II this means that the Turks shah
be given Jerusalem and the other pop'
lions of the holy land from which they
have been elected after years Of fight
ing and after centuries OF barbarian
rule, Christendom will hesitate long
time before considering the proposal.
II these are the peace t1cms which
the kaiser is to offer in his Christmas
clouded and biased German mind as
message, they may appeal to the
liberal. but they can not have that ap-
pearance VIXEN viewed in the light Of
fairness, much less from the stand
point Of any of the enemies OF Ger
many.
For that matter, talk of peace terms
of any sort with the Hohenzollerns
undisturbed in their autocratic rule OF
the German empire is the most idle
sort of folly. The international laws
for the conduct of nations in times Of
pace and war were disregarded at
tie very outset by the kaiser. He is
the worid's foremost champion OF the
principle that might supersedes right.
that treaties are but scraps of paper,
that The Hague conventions were
framed only to be broken by him and
his conscienceless armies.
It is difncult to believe that the
German despot Is serious in proposing
such q basis even for peace confer
ences as are outlined in the round
about communication which has come
to the American government. Such
an arrangement would leave him mas
ter of much more European territory
than he had before the war. 1t
would give him almost unlimited &C
cess to the Baltic and North seas. It
would isolate what might remain OF
Russia. It would menace Scandina-
via. 1t would leave the Balkan
states in their former precarious
condition as luckless pawns. 1t
would multiply his commercial pow
ers and advantages. 1t would con-
s,itute him master Of the destinies OF
the great bulk Of continental Europe
and enable him to recuperate from
the exhaustion of the present war with
the sole and sinister purpose OF insti-
tuting another after q decade or two
which would give him European and
world domination.
II the German ruler has any hope
that his enemies will consider such
terms seriously, and il he Is prepared
to relinquish any of the demands for
power which they inc1ude-in other
words. II he is sincere in desiring
peace-it is because he realizes that
continued fighting must in the end
result in defeat for his government.
America will be in a position to
tight next spring. Our armies will
grow greater and stronger throughout
1918 and the succeeding year. Unless
the whole world appraises America
far too highly, there can be but one
end to protracted military struggle
and that end must be victory over
Germany. Perhaps It is conscious
ness of this fact that moves the kaiser
to consider even the small concession
he proposes in these so-called terms.
It would be better by far to fight
on, even J, il the eventual outcome
were less secure. than it is, than to
accept such q proposal, which would
only postpone the ultimate and inevi.
table realisation Of the HohenzoIlern's
dream of world conquest.
OUT OF THE PAST.
Francis ]. Heney's ability as an un.
weller of sensations IL we'll known, al.
%bov0h h3o q otivifioa havo hoon aov,xa