All this prepared the way for the Chancellor's statements about
peace. The stories crediting Prince Billow in Switzerland, Dr. Sod at the Hague, Prince Maximilian of linden at Stockholm, and Cardinal Hartmann at Rome with peace missions were all fabrications. in answer to the suggestion of Herr Scheidereann. the Socialist, that peace overtures should come from Germany, since she was in much -the stronger position, he said that the exact contrary was the policy of the Government. They were always ready to discuss terms, but they must first see what terms the Entente Powers proposed. The longer the war went on the stronger Germany became. The demands generally made that " German militarism must be crushed " and that Alsace-Lorrain must be restored to France were impossible. Germany was getting enough food, cotton, copper, and rubber to carry on the war till reasonable proposals were made to her. The general impression the speech leaves on us is that the Chancellor spoiled his case by overstatement. It was a piece of political acting which had an obvious purpose. In no political assembly in the world but the Reichstag would it be possible for such a statement to be etage.managed throughout without fatal dissection, or even interruption except from one Deputy.
Previous page
