The sun., 1918-11-03
NORTHCLIFFE
OUTLINES STEPS
FOR JUST PEACE
Processes Include Tribunals
for Punishment of War
Criminals.
COLONIES TO BE HELD
Replacement for U-BOat War
fare and Compensation for
Victims Urged.
COLONIES TO BE HELD
BY LORD NORTHCLIFFE.
Special Cable Despafch to THE SuS from the
London Times Service l


London Times Serpice.
Copyright. 1918: all rights ressrred.
LONDON, Nov. Now that peace is
at last in sight. hear the question being
asked on all sides. How are we to pass
from war conditions to peace conditions ?"
This cannot be done by a sudden dramatic
declaration like the declaration which in
August. 1914. changed peace to war. 1t
must be a slow and laborious process. a
process which has, 1t seems to me, at
+, least three distinct and successive stages.
! OF these stages will be formed an organic
| whole which will constitute the machinery
! FOR replacing conditions Of war by peace
conditions.
1t is important to get these stages
l. clearly outlined In our Imagination. it
| s important also to bear in mind that
each stage smooths the path for Its
| successor in precisely the proportion.
| sincerity and thoroughness with which
| 1t has been completed There Is but
| one goal for those who aSe honest and
farseeing that goal Is to create a con-
| iition in the world In which there shall
be an opportunity for the legitimate de-
| 'elopment of all peoples. The road e
long and difficult, but l believe it's
course is already clear enough to be
fdescribed in the same words to those
who are our friends and those who are
now our enemies.
First Stage.
| The first stage is cessation Of hostil-
! tiles.
Whether they cease on account of an
| ~ lett ~, % nlar
there can be no question as to the
honor" Of the German people, or any ad-
adjustment OF conditions to any supposed
strategical or actual strength OF the
| Central Powers.
If they feel humiliated they must
blame those who brought humiliation
upon them. and as to military strength
the semi-official organ OF the German
Government. the Nordeutsche AHeoe-
meine Zeitan0. has admitted our re-
serves are such as Germany cannot
compete with them
| 1T is clear" said this newspaper on
October IL. that IL We systematically
! continue the war this way of fighting
might go on for long time. Annih!la-
ton of the German army is still long
way from attainment We still have a
quantity of unspent forces at our COM
in reserve battalions and at home. but
doubtless there are certain limits to all
| this on our side, whereas our enemies,
| chiefly America, are In a position to re-
place men and materials on an ever in
| cTsasing scale"
An equally important admission
found In the Hunchner NeUoste Mach
rtchten, a leading south German organ.
October 25. This journal said: And
| laIl Axya h,- thA n
the frontier would render the German
situation much worse as It would eX-
pose Germany's Industrial territory o
the Entente's artillery hre and par
ticularly their air attacks, while the
danger to the enemys industrial dis
tricts would correspondingly be removed
This condition alone would not only
secure the enemy's military preponder-
ance, but would increase It,"
Thus II Is clear that Germany. de-
prived now OF the help OF her allies
recognizes her hopeless situation and
!. the conditions upon which hostilities car
cease must be laid down by the mill
tary and naval leaders OF associated
Powers and accepted by the Centra
Powers in such form that no resump
ton Of hostilities shall be possible.
u Germany's Spirit the Test.
This will say; The spirit In which
Germany accepts these stern and nee
essary conditions will do much TO de
termine the course OF future events
, II she haggles over conditions or Il
=. sullen and obstructive In her mode o
carrying them out then our profoun,
distrust of her spirit and motives will
survive into subsequent stages and still
further delay that reestablishment o
toierable relations which must be ou
object. But II Germs =" by word ant
, deed makes plain her Il. ..ndonment o
that belief which her rulers supported
until recently by a majority OF he
! people. have used as a menace tn
greatest obstacle in the path OF equa
Justice will have been removed.
BY the stroke Of the pen in accepting
, the conditions of the armistice. or b.
mere gesture OF unconditional surrende1
Germany can cause the fighting to cease
Naturally the business of evacuation an
reoccupation will have to be conducte
by concert between the military an
naval leaders. The first governing condi
. ton of these operations and detailed ar
: rangemnts will be the safety OF tn
peace.
The second condition will he the Sc
curity for civilian life and property. A
emotional background to all this will b
the daily increasing desire on the par
OF all TO get back TO normal condition
: OF life. Cooperation and agreement wi
[ be required not SO much to secure ths
5 demobilization and disarmament shall b
: forced sternly on those who have SUI
q rendered as to secure that each side wi