New-York tribune., 1918-08-01

that 1t IS lnsincere. the people should
insist that all offers of peace be made
pubic. / am uneasy lest the aims for
which we entered the war are not the
aims for which we are continuing it."
The new Lansdowne letter has been
alphabetically received in political cir
cles. The general Parliamentary opin-
ION is said to be we'll summarized in
the comment of one member of the
House of Commons: The letter is
simply an elongaton of Lansdownes
previous pronouncement, but it is an
elongation leading nowhere"
In beginning his letter Lord Lans-
downe said:
I'VE are about to commence the fifth
year of the great struggle for liberty,
and next week we shall reaffirm a SOL
emn resolve not to desist from the
effort until peace with honor is in
sight.
NJ Meanwhile, with every month that
passes, the toll which the war is claim
ing becomes heavier and heavier The
civilized world is being drained of its
resources, is spending its energies in
purely destructive efforts, each of which
involves the further diminution of its
reserves of power and the further mu-
tilation of the machinery of produc-
ton"
Lord Lansdowne refers to the est-
mates placing the casualties of the bel
ligerents at 10000, 600, of which 7,OOO,-
600 have been killed and 100000 made
prisoner or numbered among the miss
ing, and to the decline in the birthrate
which, according to the Registrar
General in a recent paper. is costing
the belligerents 12.5OO, 600 potential
lives, of which $780, 900 have been lost
to England and Wales
Is Willing to Fight
Sooner than accept dishonorable
peace" he says, I'VE are all ready to
tight on to the bitter end"
He dwells on the tragic loss of life
and declares that the desire for peace
is widespread among the enemy ma
tions, adding:
Upon no other assumption is it pos
sible to explain the language of those
Austrians and Germans who ale in a
position 10 speak their minds freely,
or the constant feelers launched by the
governments of the Central Powers.
But we are apparently as far as
ever from the end. The tide of car
and carries all before it. From time to
time ray Of reasonableness illumnes
the gloom. only to be followed by
relapse into recriminations and CON
troverses in which each side. instead
Of searching for points of agreement,
Is apparently content with dialectic
successes.
What is it that stands in the way?
1t is with no desire to elnbarrass the
government that | ask the question.
But many cf us are sorely perplexed
and fee it our duty to give them
chance of afording US some measure of
reinsurance and enlightenment.
Wants to Talk Peace
There is, in the first place am
convinced, a deep-seated desire for
further explanation as TO the condi-
tions on which we arc prepared, not to
make peace but to open discussion
which might lead to peace.
ut is assumed that such a discussio on
cannot be commenced without some
measure of preliminary agreement. and
our leading statesmen constantly bid
US congratulate ourselves because, al
though our enemies have refused to
define their terms, We are supposed to
have defined ours in unmisrakable
language. Has it been really unmis-
taxable No one will suggest that a
discussion is impossible until each side
has obtained the assent of the other
TO an exhaustive catalogue of its re-
quirements. But there are evidently
certain cardinal points which neither
side will treat as open to question. Is
it really the case that we have done all
that can be expected Of Us in the way
Of a definition of such points ~
Says Interests Are Diverse
Lord Lansdowne admits that the di f
hculties of formulating such list are
serious.
diverse and possibly conflicting in
terests have to be reconciled.' he con-
tinues. "We must make sure that We
are in line not only with our allies, but
with our great dominions overseas We
have to face problems, POLITICAL racial
and geographical, Of surprising in
tricacv
"There is a temptation to use vague
language and broad generalites and
slide over awkward questions But
what has been the use of our inter
Allied conferences and the meeting of
the Imperial Cabinet if there has been
nc coordination of our aims?"
Thinks Aims Are Changed
Some Of the earlier versions of the
Allied aims are obsolete. according to
the letter The governing document
for a long time was the Allies note
of January 10, 1917. but Russia had
fol-