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Show PEACE GOSSIP Pers stent reports have been com ng from various sources to the effect that Germany and Euss a have entered into preliminary negot at ons for a separate peace Kecently the Wash ngton Post announced w th a seeming a r of an thJr ty that one of the most power f ul agenc es in the world is seeking an adjustment of all d fferences between Euss a and Germany That Euss a would break ts compact with England and France by making a separate peace is hardly conce vable It would be an act of treachery un (paralleled s nee the days of Frederic the Great And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire It is probable that Austria has made un offic al and indirect overtures to Bus Eia with the knowledge and consent of Germany It is poss ble but not prob able that Germany herself has com menced negot ations with Euss a The advantages for Germany and Austria of such a peace are too obvious to need comment The advantages to Euss a are not so easily d scermble For the Puss ans the Germans enter ta n no undying hatred For the French they are be"inn ng to show s gns of re spect and admirat on For the Engl sh they now experience a hatred that can only be sat ated by the destruction of the Engl sh fleet and the invas on of England The change 111 German senti ment toward the Euss ans and French wh le it seems to be a mov ement aris ng among the people themselves s perhaps be ng fostered by the war party for the part eular purpose of isolating Great Brita n If Germany could effect a separate peace w th France and Euss a she m ght be able to achie e the pr n cipal object and amb t on of the war party the defeat of the Engl sh by sea and land It is not im probable therefore that in German government c rcles there is a desire to I know how the proposal of a separate peace would be accepted n Petrograd if it were to be made offic ally and formally It s qu te w th n the bounds of reason that the German government s holdin" up straws to find which way the w nd blows If Euss a- should make a separate peace she could not remain a passive spectator of the military operat ons j Circumstances wo Id compel Euss a to ' ally herself w th Gem any and Austria , to enforce a treaty of peace wh ch would ga n the r assent What are the 1 nducements that could be held out to : Eussia for he treachery! Germany and I Austria would be compelled to make j concessions of the mo t humil at ng J character On the other hand Euss a V can get as much out of the defeat of the Germanic coalition m alliance with Great Br tain and France as she could obta n by proving treachSrous to her present all es Accord ng to the internat onal goss p Euss a and France aje resentful aga nst England because that country ta led to protect Belg um from Germany If such resentment is felt t is not war ranted by cond t ons as they were known to exist at the outbreak of the war At that t me Euss a and Franco were fully aware that England co Id not possibly supply more than 200 000 men as an expedit onary force If they were sat sfied then it is not 1 kely that I they can be d ssat sfied now when Eng land has raiBed an army of 1 TOO 000 men most of whom w 11 be ready for serv ce n the field before net summer Euss a is also represented as deeply chagr ned because the English have fa led to destroy the German fleet That too is unlikely Even the ordinary land lubber can understand what folly it would be for the English warships to attaek German ha bors in an attempt to dig out the kaiser s fleet The English sh ps would be destroyed by m nes and torpedoes before they even caught a gl mpse of the German sh ps in the Kiel canal |