The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-28
Is Proposition a Sincere Offer
or a Cunning Trap.
Terse Rejection Playing Into
the KaiSer'S Hands.
ALLIES CHIEF DEMAND IGNORED
No Real Intention of Repara-
ton for Belgium AtrOcity.
Believe Austria Sincere, but
Suspect Kaiser Trickery.

| London, Dec. 2S.-Opinion here on
the reply of the Central powers to the
Bolsheviki peace terms, as far as can
be judged from the editorials in the
! morning newspapers, follows two
main lines. On one hand it seems to
be felt that the Central powers have
made a perfectly sincere offer to END
the war Immediately, while on the
other hand it is declared that they
have set a cunning trap in which they
hope, altho vainly, to catch the allies
1 The former view is not confined to
papers generally regarded as having
pacifist leanings 1t is supported
strongly for instance by the conserva-
tive Daily Express, which stands un-
| compromisingly for victory over the
| Central powers and is an ardent
apostle of anti-Prussianism. In all
the papers taking this view the state
ment of the Central powers is regard
ed as being addressed less to Russia
| than to the allies collectively, and the
offer, made thru Count Czernin, is as
sumed to be an initial proposal which
the Central powers are prepared 10
| modify in the course of bargaining
for nowhere are the terms of the
Central powers regarded entirely
accepta BILE in their present form. The
Express says:
Is Germany's First Bid
| The terms may be taken as Ger
many'S first bid. The proposals are,
of course, wholly inadequate. but it is
significant that the idea of conquest
has been abandoned completely. This
is the first indication that Germany
has begun to realize the true position
with which she is confronted.
''At the same time the demand of
the allies for reparation is ignored
totally There is no doubt that the
negotiations are form of cam outage
l ial, 20
talk to the allies thru Russia. 1t is a
general peace that Germany and Aus
tria-Hungary want, ana behind
Czernin's words there is, we think, a
perfectly sincere desire to end the war
at once. The offer for what it is
worth is obviously genuine.
Germany is pledged definitely to
the principle of restitution, thereby
bluntly repudiating Won Tirpitz and
the other pan-GermanSi, but while
secuted. Reparation will be accented
as the price of the restoration of those
economic relations without which
Germany cannot ivs.
''An authoritative allied reply to
Count Czernin might be a demonstra-
ton to the German people that the
allies have wish 20 contrive their
destruction; hinder their development
or threaten their independence. When
they once understand what the allies
stand for and what really are their
intentions, the German people them
selves will complete the destruction
of that militari SIN which has set out
to conquer the world
No World Peace Guarantee.
The Daily Chronicle says it is a
striking fact that the central powers
have accepted the formula of no an
nexation and no indemnities. and
continues:
THE new peace offensive of the
for Russia, but for the allies at large,
and especially the United States. Com
ing at the same time as threats and
warnings of tremendous German eff
forts on the western front, it is no
doubt merely the forerunner of pro-
posals more formal in character. The
terms of the central powers offer no
security whatever against a recurrence
of the war; whenever the original dis
turbers of the peace are strong enough
to fight again with better prospect
of victory
The Daily News, which warmly en-
dorsed the recent letter of the Mar
Quis of Lansdowne and is regarded as
being tinged with pacifism. contends
that Germany had to choose between
her extremists and her moderates as
no peace formula could be possibly
satisfactory both to Count Reventlow
and Philip Scheidemann.
Nothing could be more ill-adVised -
-
of the German offer by the press or
politicians of the entente alliance. as
such a reception is precisely what
German diplomacy is playing for.
That does not mean that the German
proposals can be grasped at as a ba-
sis of immediate negotiations-their
defects are self-evident''
After denouncing the terms as they
would affect Belgium. and other mat
ters as being altogether unacceptable.
the Daily News adds:
Reply With Allies Terms
These deficiencies might seem for
a moment to furnish sufficient ground
for ignoring or summarily disrnissing
the German proposals Reasons re-
garding that conclusion are short
sighted and impolitic as already has
been suggested.
IF the allies are appealed to by the
Russians for their views they should
ity of making a candid and reasoned
statement of their war aims and their
peace terms.
'On certain important questions such
as the reputation of territorial am
bitions and punitive indemnities there
is in form at least a common ground
between the German professions and
the declared principles of the allies
and should be borne iii mind that
when a peace term is framed under
such circumstances as brought the
present German proposals to birth its
demands may be assumed to repre-
sent, not an irreducible minimum but
a skiiIfu1 negotiator's stock in trade. -
highly interesting situation, the
Daily telegraph thinks. has been Gre
| Do II a