Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-07-27
PEACE IS NOT
POPULAR TALK
in LONDON NOW
Debate Brought on by Reso-
luton Of a Socialist
Member.
Nothing to Be Hoped From
Present German Tenn
per Is View.

London, July 27-The house Of
commons, after employing the whole
evening session in a discussion Of a
peace resolution moved by James
Ramsey Macdonald, socialist ard la
Dor member, defeated it by q vote of
148 to- Is. The announcement OF the
figures was received with some cheers
and much laughter.
The smallness Of the numbers in the
house when divisionw taken is an
indication of the little interest shown
by parliament in any hope Of a useful
peace movement at the present juno
ture and the conviction was voiced in
an important statement by Herbert H.
Asquith, the former premier, that
nothing was to be hoped from the
present temper Of the German reich
stag and peaple.
The little group Of pacifists insti-'
tuted a peace debate in the house of
commons this afternoon by introduce
ing a resolution declaring, that the
German reichstag resolution favoring
peace by an understanding expressed
the principles for which Great Brit
ain stood throughout, and calling on
the government. in conjunction with
the entente allies, to restate their
peace terms accordingly. Further,
the resolution declares that the allies
should accept the Russian proposal
that the forthcoming allied confer
ence on the war aims should COM
prise representatives Of the people
and not solely spokesman of the gov
eminent.
Started BY Socialist.
The resolution was moved by James
Ramsay Macdonald, socialist and la
Dor member for Leicester.
Mr.. Macdonald agreed hat his res
olution expressed the opinion of only
a small minority, but he commended
that this minority was ever growing.
Stockholm had borne its fruit; the al
lied conference would bear more, and
the international conference would
bear still more fruit. Such a confer
ence would find out that the time had
come for an active effort for peace
and it would find a peace that would
not be disturbed by preparations for
war.
Condemn Uncertainty.
MI. Trevelyan, who seconded the
resolution, agreed in condemning the
man chancellor, Dr.. Michaelis, and
saf6 that they were all agreed that
peace awaited the restoration Of Bel
GUM and France, without any econ
omic or other conditions. He also
doubted whether there could be peace
until the governments clearly and ex-
pressly repudiated the idea of con-
quest or lamentations. While it might
be the duty of the government to re-
the duty of the house of commons to
reply to the reichstag resolution. DR..
I Michaelis' speech was made on that
resolution, and the fact that he did
not speak against, II or try to dissuade
the reichstag from passing II, ought
not to be overlooked.
Asquith Replies.
Former Premier Asquith thought
that the previous speakers attached
more Importance to the reichstag res
olution than It really deserved.
Peace, said Mr.. Asquith, should be-
come the supreme interest OF man
kind, but subject to an all-important
condition. namely. that 1t Is a peace
which does not turn to waste the inn
measurable loss and suffering which
the allies are sharing in common.
Nothing but good, he declared,
could come of o plain reinstatement Of
the allies aims in q good cause. Two
new facts of the present year. first,
autocratic, and, second. the appear
ance. with all her moral and material
forces, OF the United States in the
struggle, had a. direct and practical
bearing upon the opinion Of the world
as to the sincerity of the allies aims.
Allies for Freedom.
They mean, continued he for
nier premier, that the allied nations
now include an overwhelming majorf-
ty Of the free peoples OF the world.
THE allies are fighting for nothing but
freedom, and nothing short of free
dom. That is the policy OF this great
and unprecedented aggregation OF