Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-23
OUTWARD APPEARANCESVIEWE
AS MORE FAVORABLE TO GERMANY
IN PROPOSAL OF PEACE TERMS


use of the ports of her foes. above all
the use of British ports for her mer-
chant ships: for unless she can do this
she can no longer compete with the
maritime powers, whose colonial pos
sessions enable them to do business
without the permission or aid of Ger
many. If Germany is to go back into
business she must once more make use
of Gibraltar. Algiers, Singapore. Genoa.
Alden, Bombay and Hongkong. She must
reclaim the British and the American
markets.
Loss of Markets Serious.
Now, whatever the eventual value Of
her conquests in the Balkans. in west
ern Russia and in Asia Minor. they can
not be of any immediate counterbalanc-
ing value for Germany as compared
with her lost markets and lost sources
of raw material. If Germany were to
make peace on the basis of the present
war map she would still have lost the
war, so far as the present generation is
concerned because, while she heid BEL
GUM and northern France. every port
and colony of the British empire would
be closed to her and she would find her
self a landlocked state. which, 10 ilve.
must have outlet upon the sea ana IN
the markets of the maritime nations.
( Further than this. each month the
war proceeds the German market OF
the future declines. The casualty lists
that come from our first encounters
with German troops in france VIII
transform the familiar trademark
made in Germany into a handicap Tor
German goods for the next quarter OF
a century. and American credit vii!
not quickly be extended to the nation
recently our deadly foe. In addition,
one South American state after an
other is entering the war. and as
consequence demolishing the German
Cin1 CT t,,r
bounda ries. China is a bellieerent. ana
German markets in China >have passed
to Japanese and American control. Ger
man markets in South America Will
Britain and her colonies, it is only nee
essary to know something OF the
Canadian feeling toward the German
to realize how long will be the strug-
gle for the German to get back into
the British empire. An ra-empire
most certain to follow the war and
close the German avenues to markets
which were so long the most valuable
outside of Europe.
Therefore the German, still knowing
fortunate days on the battlefield. per-
ceived a year ago that his sole saliva
ton lay in ending the war before the
full harvest of hate and prejudice had
ripened and while there was still
chance of saving some of his vanish
many which is moderate. not because
of political or moral ideals. but be-
cause of material and business con-
Germs, last year demanded peace, and
to its demands, reinforced by the war
WEAKNESS of the masses of the Ger
man people, the government replied
by peace proposal, -abortiye, probably
wholly dishonest in real purpose. but in
itself giving evidence of the true state
of affairs in Germany.
Nothing Lost by Germany.
Now, after a year. Germany is to
make a new peace proposal. So far as
the military situation is concerned the
Germans are not much worse off than
they were a year ago. save as their
submarine campaign has failed and left
them no weapon against their chief foe
Great Britain. They have lost battles
and ground in the west but they have
accomplished the downfall of Russia
and have greatly lessened the pressure
upon Austria by their Italian campaign.
Their Turkish ally has lost Bagdad and
Jerusalem, Mesopotamia and Palestine.
but they have lost nothing and on the