Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-11-15
REVIEW OF
The Great WAR
Worlds Conflict Brought to a
Close by Virtual Surrender
of Germany.
HUNS BEG ARAISTIcE TERMS
E~missaries Go to MarshaI Foch Bear
ing White Flag-.vhile Conference
Is Held Allied Armies Contin-
ue to Smash the Enemy.
By EDWARD w. PICARD.

The great war is virtually ended.
At the time of writing hostilities had
not ceased, but the plenipotentiaries
of Germany had crossed the lines to a
point near Guise, bearing a white flag
and were there considering the arms
tice terms offered them by Marshal
Foch. That they would be compelled
to accept these terms was considered
a foregone conclusion.
Though the terms of the armistice
had not been made public, those grant
ed to Austria and Turkey proved that
Germany would be forced to accept
terms that meant unconditional sur
render, with all that implies. The al
lies were in a position to refuse to
listen to anything short Of that. Pres
ident Wilson had notified the German
high command that it would have to
ask terms from Marshal Foch in the
field, and in consequence Matthias Err
berger, General Winterfeld, Count Won
Oberndorft, General Won Gruenell and
Naval Captain von Salow carried the
white flag to the generalissimo Of the
allies. Whether they were fully en-
powered to act for Germany was not
stated, but it was supposed that if it
were necessary to submit the terms to
the reichstag, such action would be in
the nature of a fOrmality.
Thus, after four years and three
months of terrible conflict, the great
war, involving directly most of the ma
tons of the globe, has come to a close
with the utter defeat of Germany and
her allies, the complete failure of the
gigantic conspiracy to force upon the
world the rule of militaristic autocracy.
At the expense of millions of lives
and billions Of treasure the reign of
democracy has been established
throughout the world. The price has
not been too great, for the victorious
nations, and perhaps some of the con-
quered, have been r%egenerated by the
blood they have shed and the gold they
have spent.
Her military front in the west col
lapsing, her home front breaking down,
her people ready to revolt and her
troops forming soviets after the fash
ion of the Russian boIsheviki, Germany
had to give up the struggle. Had the
army commanders had their way, prob
ably the fighting would have been con-
tinued for a short time longer, though
hopelessly. But the internal changes
had actually given the people a power
they never before had enjoyed, and
they brought it to bear in a way that
compelled the militarists to make a
speedy peace. The revolt of the armed
forces already had begun in Hamburg
and Kiel and also in Schleswig, and it
was reported that the revolutionists
had gained control of the entire Ger
man feet.
And now for the peace conference.
The first question is the place where
the momentous meeting shall be held.
The United States offers Washington.
Great Britain favors The Hague;
France, Versailles; Italy. Geneva. All
are supposed to favor Washington as
second choice. If the conference
should meet In our national capital, 1t
is believed President Wilson will pre-
side; If elsewhere, some other Ameri-
can, presumably Colonel House, will
sit at the head of the table.
The allied governments have agreed
that peace shall be based on the points
enunciated by President Wilson. with
two notifications which have been
accepted by him. These are that repa-
by Germany shall include COM
pensation for all damage done to the
civilian population of the allies and
their property by the Germans by land,
by sea, and from the air and that the
entente allies reserve to themselves
complete freedom on the subject of