The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-01
Peace Propaganda Fails To
Swerve Anti-Kaiser Stand.
PrusSian Menace Must Be Sup
pressed Before War Ends.
CONSULT ON REPLY To RUSS
Find 1t Urgent To Meet Insidi-
GUS German Scheme.
TeutOns Talk Less of Victorious
Peace Than Ever Before.
BY CARL d. GRoAT.

Washington. Jan Dawn of .
new year found the United States and
its allies unswervingly opposed to any
peace on the Teuton or Russian terms
Sub-surface suggestions that the al
lies were weakening before the sinister
Teuton peace propaganda met with
the positive declaration from foremost
government leaders that there is no
change of front.
Tie kaiser must become the puppet
and his people the rulers before this
country and its associates will halt
their fight, leaders agreed. Tho 1918
finds the world again swept with peace
talk and the governments pondering
over it seriously such consideration as
the subject receives is not about ac-
ceptance but about counteracting the
flood of German press agitation on the
topic.
Officials had planned to ignore the
German peace movement. But find
ing that the talk and the propaganda
grew apace, they were confronted to-
day with the question of answering
this mass of insidious propaganda.
That explains Lloyd Georges and
C -emenceau's coming conference. 1t
explains, too, the reports that Ameri-
can government heads and allied
leaders are consulting on peace.
Allies to Consult United States.
True the allies will consult Wash
ington before making any attempt to
out-press agent the German press
agents. But there is no general con-
s.:ltation at the moment, except inso-
far as entente ambassadors gather the
A A.nerican viewpoint in their calls at
the state department and give their
governments ideas in return.
There is little need for consultatios1
Opinion of allied and American go<-
ernment men is unified on the point
that the time is not ripe for peace.
Germany, they know, really wants
peace-wants it more badly than ever
before.
There is less talk of a victorious
peace emanating from Germany than
ever before. = Now it is mostly just
plain peace.
Insincere in Peace Move.
But the American and allies posi-
ton is that Germany is still insincere
in meeting the world half way. She
has not stripped herself of the power
which made the war possible and
which could inflict other wars.
That is why the present peace cam
paign, press agented via Petrograd
and Brest-Litovsk is getting no rise"
from those opposing Germany.
But, lest allied and American 81
lence be misconstrued, there will be
some statement to offset the Germans,
! unless present plans fail.
Some quarters suggest that this
statement will contain even more spe-
cific war aims and peace terms than
any previous pronouncement- In any
event, it will not be an acceptance.
Answering the thought that the
| kaiser had taken step toward dem
ocracy by comforting more power on
Chancellor Hertling, officials declared
that this is mere show put forth
to quiet growing German voices for
more representation in the Slav peace
session.
Kaiser Scents Dissension.
The increasing dissatisfaction of the
under the kaiser's domination is
squirting his peace efforts.
As for Russia, she stay in or
get QUIT makes no difference now
in the military situation, according to
official expressions here. She is
doomed to fall prey to German
shrewdness and the best that can pos
sibly be expected is that the Teuton
will find hornets nest on his hands
from revolutions within.
Russian authorities here believe .
separate peace between Russia and
Germany is inevitable while Rumania
must accept either such a peace or be
crushed beneath the German war ma
chine And once this German-Russian
peace is concluded Bulgaria, Russia
and Rumania will doubtless reach
agreements.
However, diplomats here are re-
signed to the inevitable. They declare
/ that the sooner this happens the soon
er will they know how to frame their
future war problems. These plans
tentatively suggest the seizure of Vlad-
ivostok or Ko1a, in event war supplies
there seem likely to fall into Teuton
hands.
/ Speed Up Is U. S. Slogan.
/ Above all, the peace talk now looms
the great question of winning the war,
officials say.
The message they all agreed on to-
day with a bloody 1913 ahead. was
! '.hurryi"