Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1916 — THE BEGINNING OF THE END. [ARTICLE]

THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

In our humble opinion the great European war will end within the next few months. The olive branch extended by Germany and her allies is a move toward “getting together.’’ and we believe an agreement will soon be reached that will end this bloody strife that has been raging for the past two and onehalf years and has cost untold millions of lives, billions in money and the destruction of property that, like the lives taken, can never be restored? No doubt all the countries engaged in this terrible conflict would like awfully well to quit, but they hardly know how to let loose. All are beginning to see that it is folly to keep up the conflict until each and everyone of the belligerents engaged in the war fully exhaust themselves physically and financially, which can only be the result if they keep up *he battle very much longer. It is better to quit while they have a little something left, and it is very probable now that the end of the war is practically in sight. At least, let us hope so. Let us also hope that the terms of settlement will be such as to forever put an end to militarism the world over. Following close on the heels of Germany s peace advances, President Wilson dispatched a note to each of the belligerents Wednesday asking them to set forth explicitly the terms on which they would consider peace. This note was well received in all quarters and that it will bear fruit in the near future seems quite probable. A definite statement by both sides, 'no how far they may be apart, is what is being sought by the President as a foundation for peace, and once thfs is secured rapid negotiations Mil follow. There it is not un-

reasonable to ex pec t pea c e within a few months.

<’arl G, Fisher, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has threatened to take the annual Decoration day races next year to inmnnati unless the hotel men of Indianapolis agree not to hold up visitors as in the past. The Indianapolis Coinniereial club is taking a hand in the matter and will try to get the hotel keepers together on a schedule of reasonable rates in order to hold the races which bring tens of thousands of dollars to the capital city each year and are a big advertisement for the city, or would be were the visitors not gouged so outrageously by the hotels. Twenty dollars per day for a single room, it is said, has not been uncommon during these races, and one man told of being charged .$6 5 for two rooms two days. There is also talk of having the coming legislature pass an act compelling the hotels to place a regular printed rate card in each and every roonf, that the guests may know what the regular rates are. This last is, a splendid idea and should ,be done no matter •whether the hotel men enter into an agreement not to gouge visitors to the races or not.