Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

6 articles on this Page

A LOOK ROUND.

News
Cite
Share

A LOOK ROUND. Here It Comes [BY SEKTINEL."] WE have had a talk before about the expectcd Peace Offen- sive of Germany, and have made it clear, we hope, that it is quite a different thing from an offer of peace. Germany has never made an offer of peace yet. She has only said, "Stop fighting; come and sit round a table and we will talk about terms." The poor Russian Bolsheviks were foolish enough to do so, and the Germans immediately pulled Russia in pieces for their own benefit. But Ger- many has tned several Peace Offen- sives "—that is to say, she has tried to weaken the wi II of the Allies and divide them from each other by talking of her readiness to make peace, and hinting that France or Italy or Britain might get something good if either would be selfish and disloyal enough to leave its Allies in the lurch. Peace Offensives come when the fighting is going against Germany and her Allies, or when such successes as they obtain are too costly to be followed up. The Germans have struck three heavy blows at the French and British Armies since March 21st. They have pushed our Armies back but they have lost, in all probability, nearly a million men in doing so. They know that this cannot go on, for the Americans are pouring in, and soon the Allies will be stronger than they. So they act like the bully who is a coward at heart, and, after each blow that they strike, exclaim, Now, will you give in ?" And each time that they get- a resolute Xo for an answer their heart sinks a little, nearer to their boots. At pre- sent they are in particularly low spirits, t' for the Austria 11s, driven by them to I attack the Italians, have taken a really nasty knock from those brave friends of ours. With only three ounces of bread a day to eat, the Austrians are in no condition to stand the news that their Army has had a licking. So Crocodile Kuhlmann, the German Foreign Secretary and Hertling, the Chancellor, have been put up to start the Peace Offensive once more. With; tears in their eyes they protest that war was forced upon a peace- ful Germany by Russia, backed by France and egged on by Great Britain. They complain that there is no sign that the Allies, and especially England, j-ire prepared to make peace, in spite of the German "victories," and they make a. nice, modest little demand that Germany shall have (a) "the boun-j t varies drawn for us by history"; (b) f overseas possessions corresponding to our greatness and (c) "freedom for carrying our trade on the free seas to all continents." As regards the responsi- bility for starting the w7ar, it is enough bility for starting the war, it is enough to point out that Kuhlmann was the official sent over here bv the German Government to play the spy 011 their Ambassador, Prince Lichnowsky, and that Prince Lichnowskv himself has said: "We pressed for war. \Ve insisted upon war. The impression became even stronger that we desired war in all circumstances. Berlin went on insisting that Serbia must be massacred." And Germany began the war by massacring Belgium. In face of these well-known facts, it is double- uu'd hyproerisy for Kuhlmann to say tuat Russia planned the war, France instigated it, and Britain unchained Russia-" (J ^u' war aims" of Germany, < here IS ouh one fact to be noticed. She Ha mis the boundaries drawn for us by history. These boundaries, according to the German ideas put forward bv < .erman writers, include not onlv Alsace and Lorraine, which she snatched froln "(-e 111 1871, but also the Northern I rovinees of Russia mid the Flemish ul hcUjiiun. which includes Ant- werp. Xeebrugge. and Ostend. That is nearest thing which we have had yet to a German offer of peace. Ger- many wants to keep all she had before the war, and to get these great and important additions. The wrongs of Belgium are, not to be righted, as^cven vou promised that they should be. but Belgium is to be torn in pieces. And the Kaiser is to get into his hands Antwerp—" the pistol pointed at the heart of England," as Napoleon called it. So now we know. To make peace on these terms or anvthing like them would be to confess that we had had the soundest drubbing in our ustory and that is just what wo have not had

IFEELING THE PINCH.

STUDIES IN HEAD GEAR.I

i DECIDEDLY PECULIAR.

--------------------------OXEN…

I A SHEAF OF WAR STORIES.…