The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-21
BY ARNOLD BENNETT,
(By The International News Bureau. Incl

and no indemnities. Provincial Ger man papers which managed to escape the censor states the cause of the strikes as plainly as the manifestoes of the strikers themselves. It was peace, peace without annexations or indemnities. The Harmsworth news papers tried hard at the beginning of the strikes to make out that the strikes were mere camoufage, ar ranged by the ingenious Hun to throw dust in the eyes of the simple Allied peoples; but after few days the ab- surdity of this theory became too gross for even Harmsworthian stupidity and cynicism, and the theory was dropped. And indeed it can no longer be denied, that there is a strong popular feeling to Germany for kind of peace which would mean the ruin of the Prussian militarists. Further, 1t is certain that, though for the moment crushed into inactivity, this feeling will break forth again, and that in the meantime it should be fortified by honest encour. agement from the Allies.
 A Sample of Propaganda.
 You would have thought that any British Government would realize this. But no! On the day that I wrote this article I find in a post office a sample of the propaganda of our War Aims Committee, and the leaf1et begins: Beware of the German Military and Pacifiist Pincers," and it ends; Are You Going to be Caught by the Ger man Pincers ?'' In between this ex- hortation and this question are ex- tracts from silly speech by the Ger man Socialist David, and an equally silly speech by MT. Llloyd Geor,e in whcih the Prime Minister talks of the enemy as "beaten on most of the bat tie fronts" This leaflet is not old pro- | paganda falsified by events A quarter of million copies of it have been printed during the present month It we'll illustrates the mentality of the l Government, which apparently is quite incapable of perceiving that the spread of such drivel not only makes the Government ridiculous, but strengthens the hand of Prussfan militarism.
 1 And to show that it is at least con- sistent and obstinate the Government now gives control of British propa- ganda in enemy countries to-Lord | Northcliffe, the man who more dis gracefully than any other in Britain has libelled and grossly misrepresent- ed his country both to her Allies and to her enemies. This unbridIed peer militarist and anti-democratic to the
 core, is set to the task of underminine
 militarism and reinforcing democracy
 in Germany What can one say of g
 Government given to these freaks ot idiocy?
 Again, take the case of Austria. A break between Austria and Germany
 would be as effective for the success
 of the Allied cause as a break be- tween the Prussian militarists and the
 German proletariat. To give Austria some ground to stand on would be as
 useful as to give the German Social.
 ists some ground to stand on. It is
 known that there was lately a fain
 hope of a separate arrangement witt
 Austria. Nothing can be palmer thar
 the difference between the recent pro
 nouncements of Hertling and of Czer } min. President Wilson was quick tt seize on this difference. He did no over-estimate it, but neither did h. : underestimate it. He gave it it's tru, : value, which was by no means negli
 gible. And instantly on top of Pres
 ident Wilson's speech, the Britisl government puts up to MT. Balfour il
 the House of Commons to misrepre sent Czernin in a manner which fo
 cynicisrn, stupidity, and shameless in
 accuracy the HaTmsworth press at it vilest could not have surpassed. Tha = MT Balfour was immediately pulver ized in the House is beside the point
 He is still in charge of Foreign Af
 fairs.
 Q The Versailles Conference. l It will be said that MT. Balfour, an = the government as whole, are mere
 ly following the lead of the Versatile ' Conference. I doubt whether this entirely true. I should be inclined 7 urge that the British government : taking the lead at the Versailles Con a ference: The principal political pee f pie at the last Versailles Conferenc V were M. C1emenceau, MT. Lloyd . George, and Lord Miner. Signor Or 7 alndo for Italy. and MT. Frazier fc
 the United States, could not compet :, with these three in prestige. M. Glen
 enceau has said that his war aims ca be expressed in the word Victory
 and that he will not express thel . otherwise; he exults in the hickman of Tiger" Lloyd George has naile u to his mast the banner of "The Knocl '' out Blow" and Lord Milner has sai a nothing to disprove that he is n' IS still prepared to 'tdamn the const
 quences."
 It seems to me rather strange tn; the British government should talk d the Versailles Conference as any otht g unit; it's influence therein is secor
 to none; and the Conference could ( nothing without its hearty co-oper7 ton. If the Conference solemnly d termines to give no assistance wha lever to German democracy or