Bisbee daily review., 1917-01-26

council despite the fact that it might cause much inconvenience locally, because we desired their advice and assistance in coming to decisions about the conduct of the war and the negotiations of peace.
 q regard this council as marking the beginning of a new epoch in the history of the empire.
 The empire war council will deal with all general questions affecting members of the war cabinet Nothing affecting the dominions, the conduct of the war or negotiations for peace will be excluded from its purview"
 Will the discussion include such matters as the fate of the German colonies?" was asked.
 That is one obvious question" the premier replied, but there are many questions of equal moment All the different problems connected with making peace, as was stated in the governments invitation, will be threshed cut. The war policy of the empire will be clearly defined, and of great importance is what I may call the preparation for peace. That will involve not only demobilization, but such after the war questions as the migration of our people to other parts of the empire, the settlement of soldiers on the land, commerce and industry
 The war is not won yet and we want to concert our efforts so that we may exert our maximum strength at the critical mcments Further, We are most anxious that during the last and most trying phase of the war the British empire may present to the world an absolutely united front. Up to the present the British government has shouldered responsibility for the policy of the war practically alone. It now wishes to know that in it's measures for carrying the war to finish and in its negotiations for peace it will be carrying out a policy agreed upon by representatives of the whole empire sitting in plenary coun- cil"
 What about after the war;" he was asked.
 If you mean by that constitutional recOnstructions," replied Mir Lloyd George. ''I can only say it is too soon to talk about after the war but can say this: Things can never be the same after the war as before it. : , Five demOcTacies. all parts of one em- pire. cannot shed their blood and treasure with a heroism and disre- gard of cost which has been beyond all praise without leaving memories of comradeship and great accom- [ piis1ment that will never die
 'Of this, I am certain; the peoples 1 Of the empire will have found a unity in war such as never existed before [ a unity not only in history but of pur- i pose. What. political change in i'm perial organization that will mean, l do not venture to predict"
 Then you are sanguine about the ] future of the empire9"
 If We see the war through. I cer- tainly am." the premier answered. We stand at this moment on the | verge of the greatest liberation that | the world has ever seen since the ' French revolution. Do you tell me { that peoples who have stood together and staked literally everything in or der to bring that liberation about are noi going to find some way of pcrpct- uaj'ng that unity afterward on an equal basis? l am certain they will
 No; if we endure 10 the end have ! small fears for the future, and not 1 the least important of the foundations | for the work shall have to do together will be this war council Of the British peoples"