The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-08-17
THE POPE'S PEACE TERMS.

Whatever chances the Allies have of inficting a crushing and definite defeat upon Germany and the Cen tral Powers, Germany and the Cen tral Powers cannot infict a crushing defeat upon the Entente and the United States. That is utterly im- possible. and it is growing more and more impossible even if every allowance is made for the destruc- tion of the merchant ships by | boats.
 Two of the most powerful powers in the Entente have practically not begun to take a part in the war as yet. Those powers are Japan and the United States, and even if Rus sia is a doubtful factor and any thing may be conceded as possible in that country, German victory is still absolutely out of the question The mere fact that the leaders such as Hindenberg and the Kaiser insist that their arms will carve a victory where peace has been spurned, does not alter the facts any in this in stance.
 The gigantic features of this war are almost incomprehensible. The British Chief of Staff recently stated that there were 24,000,000 men under arms in the various belliger- ent nations and inclusive of every field of war, but that this constitu- ted but 25 per cent of those who wore actively engaged in prosecuting il, that the other 75 per cent was engaged in industrial cooperation with the military, and were no less actually engaged in carrying on the war It is mainly for this reason that provided the powers can main tain an approximate equality of man power, the final stroke for victory will be accomplished by those who have the greatest industrial resOur- ces for production and distribution, and the most efficient system of organization to the end that these may be made available in propOr tion to the enormous quantity can so be made available.
 It is a self evident fact that the isolation of Germany and her Allies gives in this respect all the advant- 2ge to the Entente. an advantage the present superiority manifested on the west front by the latter, how ever slight it may be, shows over the numerical superiority in man power which Germany is there able to maintain.
 So at this precise period the Pope puts forward peace proposals. These in the main would be a concession 10 Germany. The mere fact that the status quo ante is conceded to Belgium and to Servia, while Poland is torn from Russia, and is made an Independent nation even as buffer state with Germanic influence pro tected against, would mean that Germany finds itself in position much securer as result of the war. The country has felt little of the havoc of invasion; her merchant fleet save fer a paltry million tons seized by belligerents, is intact, her authority in the Balkans. thanks to the Bulgarians prowess, is supreme, and with that Balkan predominance, .the prcdominance over Turkey is as- .suTed. The Middle Europe dreams are realized and out of the war Ger many will come, wounded and blecG- ing, but in a state far better than France and even Great Britain. France has almost suffered the greatest losses. hardly even except ing what Servia has suffered and what Belgium has suffered, for the loss in buildings, factories, industri- al and agricultural, can be replen- ished but the loss in the human ma terial can never be.
 How many intellectual briliants were dimmed for ever on those ghastly fields of battle along the Aisne, at Verdun. in Champagne, in the Argonne. who may say? Yet, as the greatest of all intellectual na- tions, the French loss, and in the French loss the worlds loss, must be incalculable. so incalculablc that