lawful authority, and falling into a condition of lawlessness. And
that to prolong the war can only lead to hastening the ruin of the
people, and making it clear to them that the only authority in the
country is that of the enemy.

4. That not only is our nation becoming disorganized in the manner
above referred to, but that it will also most certainly happen that
the leaders of the nation, whose personal influence has hitherto
kept it together, will fall into utter contempt, and lose that
influence which is our only hope for reviving the national spirit
in the future.

5. That the people are constantly demanding to be told what hope
still exists of successfully prosecuting the war, and that they
have the right to expect to be informed in an honest and
straightforward manner that their cause is hopeless, whenever this
has become evident to the Government and the Leaders.

Up to the present time the Government and the nation have been
expecting that, with the co-operation of their Deputation and by
the aid of European complications, there would be some hope for the
success of their cause, and the Government feels strongly that
before taking any decisive step, an attempt should again be made to
arrive with certainty at the results of the Deputation and the
political situation in Europe.

Having taken all the facts into consideration, the Government,
acting in conjunction with the above-mentioned officers, have
arrived at the following decision: