Newspaper Page Text
GTjc Mfaiiiu Sour nal.
VOLUME XX.
No Peace With Kaiser Now or Later
— »
SEVERAL VILLAGES TAKEN IN BRITISH ADVANCE
Armistice Will Mean Foe’s Surrender
BRITISH PBESSIIK ON
ALONG 20-MILE LINE
BELOW VALENCIENNES
Six Thousand Prisoners and
Many Guns Taken by Haig
■Wednesday French Hold
Gains East of Sambre Canal
* WITH THE ALLIED ARMIES DC
FRANCE AND BELGIUM. Oct .24.
<ll A. M_> —(By the Associated Press.)
Hard fightinc is in progress all along
the front of the British attack. The
Germans ererywhere are offering stub
born resistance.
NEW YORK. Oct. 24.—(Summary of
European Cables to the Associated
Press.) —Field Marshal Haig's third ani
fourth armies, having smashed through
the outer defenses of the strategically
important German line south of Valen
ciennes. continue successfully to ham
mer their way toward Maubege and
Mons.
Today's attack started from the new
front gained Wednesday in the ad
vance of between three and four miles
on a front of 15 miles in which more
than €.OOO prisoners and many guns
are reported to have been taken. The
enemy is resisting stubbornly, but the
British are forging ahead, capturing
villages and other Important points.
West of Maubege the British have
taken the village of Beaudigntes. one
and one-half miles southwest of Le
Quesnoy. the most important strong
hold defending Maubeuge on the west.
In the same region, they have crossed
the natural barrier of the Ecalllon
river and rapidly are placing Valen
ciennes in a pocket.
To Outflank Valenciennes
Apparently, the British are not de
sirous of taking Valenciennes by fight
ing the Germans in the streets of the
town, but plan to outflank it. .The
town now is partly surrounded and the
menace to it increased by the
advance on the south and the'capfire
nf the entire Raismes forest to the
north. •
The British thrust undoubtedly has
badly shaken the German defenses south
of Valenciennes which are so important
to the security of the German line north
ward to the Dutch border and south
and east to the Meuse. Unless the ene
my can hold the British attacks today,
it would seem they would have to con
tinue their retreat in Belgium and also
give up ground south and east of the
Oise.
French Progress
While the British are»attacking north
of the Sambre canal to the Scheldt, the
French ahve begun an offensive south
of the Oise. The Sambre canal has been
crossed east of Grand Verly and the
French have maintained their gains
against strong German counter attacks.
Between the Serre and the Oise and fur
ther east the French maintain their
pressure and have gained south or
Montoornet.
Infantry lighting has died down east
of the Aisne in the region of Vouziers,
the Germans having failed in strong ef
forts Tuesday and Wednesday to dis
lodge the French from important height
positions. General Gouraud now com
mands the important defiles north and
south of the great forest of Boult, nortn
of the Argonne.
On the front west of the Meuse the
Americans maintain the important gains
made Wednesday and are in a posi
tion to bring about a German retire
ment on the center and left of the line.
Wednesday's gains were mostly on the
extreme right and outflank the enemy
front westward toward the Argonne. •
FRENCH AND ITALIANS
CAPTURE MONT SINEMOL
ROME, Oct. 14. —French and Italian
troops in a powerful local attack on
the Sette Communi plateau last night
penetrated far into the enemy lines,
capturing the important peak of Mont
Sisemol (three miles east of Asiagot,
the Italian war office announced to
day.
Twenty-three officers and 707 men
were made prisoners.
BRITISH LESS THAN TWO
MILES FROM LE QUESNOY
LONDON, oct. 24.—The attack was
renewed this morning on the whole
front between the Sambre-oise canal
and the Scheldt, Field Marshal Haig
announced.
Continuing their progress on this
front yesterday evening, British troops
crossed the EcaiHon river less than
two miles west of Le Quesnoy, cap
turing the village of Beaudfgnies. The
villages of Neuville and Saiesches also
were occupied.
A strong German counter attack op
posite X andigies was repulsed.
Raismes forest, north of Valen
ciennes. was cleared of the enemy, and
three villages were captured in that
region.
There was local fighting west of
Tournai. without material change
- “In sharp fighting yesterday evening
on the front south of Valenciennes, we
drove the enemy from Vendegits wood,
and captured Neuville. Salesches ana
Keaud gnies. securing crossings of the
Ecaillon river at the latter place.
•'At the close of the day the enemy
counter attacked vigorously opposite
Vendegies. supporting the infantry with
strong artillery fire. They were re
pulsed.
'This morning the attack was re
sumed on the whole front between the
Sambre-Oise canal and the Scheldt.
“North of Valenciennes wc cleared
the enemy from the forest of Raismes
and captured the villages of Thiors,
Hau ten ve and Thun.
•“There was determined local flght-
(Coztinued on Page 7, Column 7.)
Full Associated Press Service
WILSON HAS TIED
MAX AND PASSED
HIM ON TO FOCH
BT X W. T. MASON.
NEW YORK, Oct. 24. —President Wil
son has tied Prince Maximilian hand
and foot and passed him over to Marshal
Foch for judgment.
The new German chancellor put Into
office by the kaiser to challenge America
to a peace offensive has been as igno
miniously defeated by the pen as Von
Hindenburg by the sword. Attempting
to overmatch President Wilson at note
writing has proven a costly failure. The
German government now stands reveal
ed before 1 the German people as unable
to negotiate a peace that can save any
part of Germany's military machine.
An understanding of this fact is ab
solutely necessary on the part of the
German people before a safe peace is
possible. The American answer to
Prince Maximilian means the German
nation must itself become civilization's
hostage for righting the wrong that
Germany has done to humanity. This
is ’the basic result of the epistolary ex
changes between Berlin and Washing
ton.
The German nation's responsibility
for the acts of its autocrats is thus
fixed. That is why Germany will not
be permitted to enter a peace confer
ence until Marshal Foch and the allies'
naval advisers have imposed conditions
that will differ in no respect from un
conditional surrender.
The only way the German people can
save any part of the wreck of their
fortunes is by overthrowing kaiserism
of their own will and power. To the
present there has been no democratic
movement in Germany, because the
tentative reforms have been staged by
the kaiser from above and have not been
made secure by popular uprisings. In
stead of demanding their lull democratic
prerogatives the German people are
waiting to take as few rights as the
kaiser thinks safe to give them in the
interest of saving the Hohenzollern dy
nasty.
No democracy was ever permanently
founded on voluntary gifts of freedom
from an absolutist monarch. If the
people themselves do not make secure
their charter of human rights by their
own majestic might, they may lose over
night what they have not participated
in creating.
Since under any conditions of peace
the German nation must first disarm
there will be better terms if the disarm
ing is done by a self-democratized na
tion. The longer the process takes, how
ever. the more drastic will be the peace
conditions. The kind of peace the
American people intend to demand will
depend on the extent of the sacrifices
thev are called upon to end ire.
The attitude of the American democ
racy during the period of note writing
by Prince Maximilian demonstrates be
yond doubt that if Germany tries to
tight it out to the end it will be the end
of Germany. •
GERMANS HOLD TO
VALENCIENNES BY
FLOODING COUNTRY
WITH THE ALLIED ARMIES IN
FRANCE AND BELGIUM. Wednesday,
Oct. 23. —(By the Associated Press.) —
British troops have reached virtually
tho whole canal bank northeast of Val
enciennes. The Germans have broken
down the banks and opened the sluice
gates northeast and southwest of the
city and have flooded vast stretches of
the country In an effort to delay the
British advance. The marshy lowlands
on the east side of the canal opposite
the Raisnes forest resembles a great
lake. It is not probable that the city
can be approached from the southwest
because of similar flooded conditions.
The British, however, liave fought
their way into the city from the west
and there’ have been sharp encounters
in the streets between patrols. Fire
from the German artillery has been
generally weak, it being strong only on
villages and towns in this vicinity.
Many civilians are still in these places.
Heavy shells dropped with regularity
for several hours today in Denain,
which is full of civilians. Without
doubt, many were killed and wounded,
and the same condition is probably
true in other towns.
Valenciennes still contains many
civilians.
FURTHER CUTS IN
SUGAR SUPPLY FOR
NEXT TWO MONTHS
Restrictions upon the use of sugar by
manufacturers will be even more rigid
than heretofore during the months of
November and December, according to
announcement made Thursday by Dr.
Andrew M. Soule, federal food adminis
trator for Georgia-
Soft drink manufacturers will be al
lowed 35 per cent of their normal sugar
consumption. They have been allowed
50 per cent of their normal supply. Ice
cream manufacturers are put on the
same basis, as well as practically all
makers of beverage syrups, molasses,
confections. chewing gum. chocolate,
cocoa, cough drops, malted milk, soda
water and similar articles.
Candy and chocolate manufacturers
are being instructed to give preference
to the army, navy. Red Cross, Y. M. C.
A. and Salvation Army, and sugar need
ed to care for these orders is to come
out of their regular allotment except
when furnished for overseas use.
Sugar allotments for household use
are to be held rigidly within the two
pund per month per person limits.
FBEBH GERMAN BRUTALITY
BRUGES. Tuesday, Oct. 22. —A fresh
and striking instance of the inhumanity
of the German authorities has been dis
covered by Belgian soldiers in liberated
"territory. They found a large number
i of Russian soldiers, who were captured
three years ago. at work with German
labor companies. The Russians had
, been treated with the utmost brutality
and forced to labor behind the firing
line. They were utterly ignorant of the
Russen revolution, the death of Em
peror Nicholas, or the Brest-Litovsk
treaty of peace.
GE«NEWS?APERS
SCORE MAXIMILIAN
IND KAISER WILHELM
Socialist Paper Says “If the
Emperor Must Go, Let Him
Go at Once” —Address of
Chancellor Is Criticised
PARIS, Oct. 24.—Emperor William
conferred Monday with all the mem
bers of the government, talking at
length with each individual, and then
harangued them in a body, says a
dispatch from Zurich to the Journak
Thus far the German newspapers have
printed nothing concerning the em
peror’s speech.
The war cabinet held another long
meeting Tuesday.
The address of the chancellor to the
reichstag is criticized sharply by a
majority of the newspapers. The ex
tracts frfcm the speech circulated by the
Wolff bureau, the semi-official news
1 agency, are to some extent garbled,
I while other passages bear so little re-
I semblance to what Prince Maximilian
! said that they appear to have been in
vented.
The Socialist newspapers, the Zurich
dispatch continues, are particularly out
spoken. The Fraenkische Tagesport,
of Nuremberg, Bavaria, says the em
peror must not think the German peo
ple are going to continue the war for
months to please him.
“If the emperor must go," It adds,
“let him go at once.”
r The correspondent reports that the
chancellor and the pan-Germans are
working actively toward the formation
of a national defense government. He
says a* proclamation to the people ex
horting them to carry on the war to
the utmost has been drafted with the
help of General Ludendorff, and that
he understands it will be published as
soon as President Wilson’s reply has
been received.
It is expected in Berlin, the corre- j
spondent adds, that the president will'
not allow himself to be flouted and |
ridiculed by the existing German gov-,
eminent
HUN DEMOCRATIZATION
SPREADING, REPORT SAYS
COPENHAGEN. Oct. 24. —The demo
cratization of Germany is spreading
I through the federal states, according to
I a special dispatch printed in the Ber
i lingske Tidende sent to that publication
■ by its correspondent at Berlin.
At a meeting of the crown council at
Dresden yesterday the question of ask- '
ing the Socialists to join the govern
ment was considered. The Baden gov-1
eminent met at Karlsruhe to consider i
the abolition of the three-class franchise
svstem and introduction ot the propor
tional franchise. Wuerttemburg also
is said to be considering whether that
government's representatives in the fed
eral council shall not henceforth re
ceive instructions direct from the repre
sentatives elected by the people rather
than from the Wuerttemburg govern
ment.
MAX’S TALK NOT HELPING
TO DEMOCRATIZE GERMANY
LONDON, Wednesday, Oct. 23.—Com
menting upon the address of Prince
Maximilian of Baden, the German im-;
perial chancellor, in the reichstag on I
Tuesday, the Star says:
“Didactic interjections by the chancel
lor will not impress President'Wilson as I
being a real contribution to the demo-.
cratization of Germany. There is no
word in the speech about the restoration
to France of Alsace-Lorraine, which was
one of President Wilson’s 'fourteen
points.’ ’’ «
The Pall Mall Gazette says that the
speech shows very clearly that the im
perial chancellor is not ready to accept I
(.he only terms which can end the war, ,
and concludes that the German armies
must be far more completely beaten
•'before our reward can come securely
in view.”
The Westminster Gazette says that
I democratic Germany must bear the bur-
I dens of autocratic Germany.
DEBATE FOLLOWS SPEECH
OF MAX IN REICHSTAG
BASEL, Oct. 24.-—(Havas.)—After the 1
■ speech of Prince Maximilian, Deputy i
Karl Herold, in the name of the Cen
trist party, read a statement in the
reichstag asking that the reform of
the constitution of the empire be ex-
i tended so that war cannot be declared ■
I without the consent of the reichstag. :
• He asked that if peace with the en- '
I tentc allies is not possible, the gov-,
i ernment will have to call on the last
I man for the defense of Germany.
Deputy Ebert, majority Socialist, de
| dared the German people would no
longer permit themselves to be without!
' the right to decide their own fate. Fried
| rich Naumann, Radical, said he consid- I
ered peace impossible by military means
and that Germany must use her diplo®
rnatic sources to end the war.
Count von Westarp, Conservative, de
clared his party would not vote for the
constitutional reforms proposed by the
chancellor because it considered them |
dangerous.
CURED HER FITS
Mrs. Paul Gram, residing at 916'
Fourth street. Milwaukee. Wis., recent
ly gave out the following statement: I
I “I had suffered with Fits (Epilepsy) for
, over 14 years. Doctors and medicine did j
'me no good. It seemed that 1 was be- '
yond all hope of relief,, when at last I I
secured a preparation that cured me.
sound and well. Over 8 years have
passed and the attacks have not re- i
turned. I wish everyone who suffers'
from this terrible disease would write I
R. P. N. Lepso, 13 Island Avenue, Mil- ;
waukee, and ask for a bottle of the I
same kind of medicine which he gave'
me. He has generously promised to I
send it postpaid, free to anyone who I
writes him.’’—(Advt.)
ATLANTA, GA., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1918.
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THE MAIN POINTS of interest today on the long battle line in France
and Belgium, where the allies are constantly adding to the territory re
deemed from the Germans are indicated by the arrows on the heavy black
line running from the Dutch frontier to east of Verdun. The British are
striking along the Scheldt, north and south of Valenciennes, and east of
Solesmes and La Cateau, the French between the Oise and Serre rivers, and
the Americans east of Grand-Pre and Bantheville. Six thousand prisoners
and many guns were reported taken by the British yesterday in their new
drive. The west battle front line now apparently extends as follows:
Eede, west of Eecloo, east of Somerghem, Deynze, Waereghem, east of
Dottignies, west of Tournai, west of Antoing, west of<3onde, Valenciennes,
west of Le Quesnoy, west of Landrecies, east of Wassigny, west of Guise,
Ribemont, south of Crecy-sur-Serre, Froidmpnt, north of Sissone, south of
Chateau Porcien, south of Rethel, south of Attigny, east of Vouziers, north
of Grand-Pre, north of Brieulles, Beaumont.
AMERICANS AGAIN
ASSUME OFFENSIVE
ON WHOLE FRONT
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN
FRANCE, Oct 23.—(Night.)—The
Americans, after repulsing" a series of
heavy counter attacks, have again as
sumed the offensive on the whole front
between the Grand Pre and the Meuse.
In a number of closely allied local
operations they have occupied several
positions which were temporarily ceded
to the Germans. These advances have
again carried them north of Grand Pre,
Bantheville and Breiulles. Two new
enemy divisions have been thrown into
this front and there are now' more than
30 German divisions opposing the Amer
icans.
Reports have been received indicating
that the German artillery fire on the
entire west front has reached the low
est mark since the first few months of
the war. British. French and Ameri
cans declare there is a remarkable pre
ponderance of rifle and machine gun
wounds over shell wounds.
The former injuries are light in the
majority of cases and permit an early
return of the casualties to the line.
On the other hand, the Boches are
smfering heavily from artillery fire and
their losses greatly exceed those of the
allies in normal defensive fighting.
These conditions, coupled with their
lowering morale, which is inevitable in
view of their peace drive, add to the ex
planations of the German desire for an
armistice.
L. S. AIRMEN HEAVILY
BOMB GERMAN POSITIONS
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN
FRANCE. Oct. 23.—(Night.)—The first
real sunshine in weeks resulted today
in the most bitter fighting in the air.
The sky was full of airplanes.
The big expeditions bombed the Ger
man rear areas this afternoon. More
than 150 American planes in one for
mation, including 60 bombing machines,
swept over the Buzancy region. Tons
of explosives were dropped. Railway
yards and woods where troops were
concentrated were deluged with bombs.
In the past twenty-four hours. Lieu
tenant Chambers, of Tennessee, has
brought down two hostile nlanes, and
Lieutenants Rickenbacker, Fevers and
Wright and Captain Grant one each.
Lieutenant Woolsey, Manning, Humes
and Colson encountered, and brought
down four Fokkers in flames, escap
ing without injury.
COMMISSION CLAIMS
POWER TO CHANGE
M’ADOO’S RATES
WASHINGTON. Oct. 24.—Tho inter
state commerce commission today as
sorted its authority to alter railroad
freight rates initiated by Director Gen
eral McAdoo, even without affirmative
showing that they are wrong, and an
nounced that the assumption that such
rates are presumed to be right and just
is incorrect. -
BRITISH CABINET
MEETS TO DISCUSS
WILSON’S ANSWER
LONDON, Oct. 24.—The British cabi
net met this morning presumably to dis
cuss President Wilson’s reply to Ger
many. The reply was received by the
foreign office from the British embassy
at Washington.
s
Chateau-Thierry Veterans
Arrive at McPherson
Thirty-three veterans, members of the
American expeditionary forces, arrived
at the general hospital at Fort McPher
son Wednesday afternoon, having been
wounded in the Chateau-Thierry opera
tions on July 15.
Despite the fact that their wounds
I are serious, the boys are undismayed
»nd most of them are able to hobble
about with the aid of crutches or canes.
Only two are unable to walk at all.
U. S.-CANADIAN CASUALTIES
OTTAWA, Oct. 24.—Americans serv
ing with the Canadian forces in Eu
rope, named in today’s casualty list.
Include:
Killed in action: P. Weathers, Bir
mingham, Ala.
Wounded: H. Osborne, Suffolk, Va.
Ill: J. Crawford. Fort Davis. Ala.
THANTC CONSUL GENERAL
LONDON. Wednesday, Oct. 23.—Lib
erated British prisoners passing
through Sofia on their way to Saloniki
speak gratefully of the work done by
the American consul general at Sofia
in their behalf, according to a dispatch
. to the Mail.
Details of Armistice,
As Reported, Impose
Virtual Surrender
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.—Marshal
Foch, together with American and
allied commanders, left by President
Wilson to apply armistic terms, have
agreed upon a course tantamount to
Germany’s unconditional surrender
if they are accepted.
From an authoritative source it
was learned today these terms are
essentially as follows:
1— Evacuation of Alsace-Lorraine.
2 Evacuation of Prussian Poland.
3 Cessation of all munition-mak
ing to be insured by committees of
allied officials who will be installed
in all factories at Essen and at other
points.
4 Surrender of the submarine
fleet.
5 Occupation of all German bat
tleships by allied naval officers.
DETAILS OF HSTICE
UNOFFICIALLYREPORTED
ARE PEACE GUARANTEES
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.—N0 armistice, except under conditions ot
surrender.
No peace with the kaiser and his war lords, now or later.
Thus President Wilson has given in advance his own final decision in
informing the new spokesmen of Germany that he has acceded to their re
quest that he take up with the allies their plea for an armistice and peace •
negotiations.
The president’s reply to the latest German note has gone on Its way to
Berlin. It was delivered to Frederick Oederlin, the Swiss charge d’affaires
here, last night at 9 o’clock and soon afterward was on the cables in plain
English, no time being lost to convert the president’s uncompromising sen-'
tcnces into code. Apparently the exchanges which had been in progress be
tween Washington and the allied capitals since thd wireless version of the
German cortimunication was picked up Monday terminated late in the after
noon, enabling the president to reply hours after the official text
had been delivered. •
Assurances of the present authorities at Berlin that they represent the
German people, that they accept the conditions of peace he had laid down
and that the German armed forces on land and sea will observe the rules
of civilized warfare, are accepted by the president only as changing the
situation sufficiently to warrant him in formally submitting the questions
involved to the nations with which the United States is associated in the
war.
Wilson’s
Reply
The text of President Wilson's
note follows in full:
"From the Secretary of State to
the Charge D’Affaires ad interim in
Charge of German Interests in the
United States:
“The secretary of staff makes
public the following:
The statement follows:
"Department of State, Oct. 23, 1918.
"Sir: I have the honor to ac
knowledge the receipt of your note
of the 22d transmitting a communi
cation under date of the 20th from
the German government and to ad
vise you that the president has in
structed me to reply thereto as fol
lows:
“Having received the solemn and
explicit assurance of the German
government that it unreservedly ac
cepts the terms of peace laid down
in his address to the congress of
the United States on the Bth of Jan
uary, 1918, and tne principles of
settlement enunciated in his subse
quent addresses, particularly the
address of the 27th of September,
and that it desires to discuss the
details of their application, and that
tliis wish and purpose emanate, not
from those who have hitherto dic
tated German policy and conducted
the present war on Germany’s be
half, but from ministers who speak
lor the majority of the reichstag
* and for an overwhelming majority
of the German people, and having
received also the explicit promise
of the present German government
that the humane rules of civilized
warfare will be ebserved both on
land and sea by the German armed
forces, the president of the United
States feels that be cannot demine
to take up with the governments
with which the government of the
United States is associated the
question of an armistice.
He’ deems it his duty to say
again, however, that the only
armistice he would feel justified in
submitting for consideration would
be one which should leave the
United States and the powers as
sociated with her in a position to
enforce any arrangements they may
be entered into an dto make a re
newal of hostilities on the part of
Germany impossible. The president
has, therefore, transmitted his cor
respondence with the present Ger
man authorities to the governments
with which the government of the
United States is associated as a
belligerent, with the suggetsion
that, if those governments are dis
posed to effect peace upon the
terms and principles indicated,
their military advisers and the mil
itary advisers of the United States
be asked to submit to the govern
ments associated against Germany
the necessary terms of such an
armistice as will fully protect the
interests of the peoples involved and
ensure to the associated govern
ments the unrestricted power to
safeguard and enforce the details
of the peace to which the German
government has agreed, provided
they deem such an armistice pos
sible fro mthe military point of
view. Should such terms of armi
stice be suggested, their acceptance
by Germany will afford the best
concrete evidence of her unequiv
ocal acceptance of the terms and
principles of peace from which the
whole action proceeds.
The president would deem him
self lacking in candor did he not
point ont in the fr.mkest possible
terms the reason why extraordinary
safeguards must be demanded. Sig
nificant and important as the con
stitutional changes seem to be
which are spoken of by the Ger
man foreign secretary in his note of
the 20th of October, it does not ap
pear that the principle of a gov
ernment responsible to the German
people has yet been fully worked
out or that any guarantees either
exist or are in contemplation that
the alternations of principle and of
practice now partially agreed upon
will be permanent. Moreover, it
(Continued on 3, Column 6.)
NUMBER 113.
In doing this, without mincing words,
he tells these authorities and through
them the German people, that the only
acceptable guarantee of their words
must be submission to terms of an ar
mistice that will make It impossible for
Germany to renew hostilities; that the •
kaiser still holds the power to control
the empire and that until he and his
autocrats are our surrender and not
peace negotiations must be demanded.
While this ultimatum Is sinking home
In Germany, the allied government will
be preparing for the next move, which
lies with them, acting in harmony with
the United States.
First there is to be determined, as
the president asks, whether the allies
are willing to effect peace on the con
ditions enunciated by him and accept
ed by Germany. If they do, the ques
tion of an armistice will bo submitted
to the military advisers of all the co
belligerents and when the necessary
conditions to render the German mili
tary machine powerless for harm have
been formulated, the program will be
forwarded to Berlin.
One point that those in the confi
dence of the president emphasized to
day is that the president and the
United States government now are
through with separate dealings with
the German authorities. The whole
situation is before the co-belligerent
governments and future announcements
will be of the United States and the
allied governments acting in concert.
Discussion centered here today on the
probable terms of armistice which may
be lormulated by the allied and American |
military aavisers aicer me allied sov
erumenus nave considered the German
proposals transmitted by President
vViison. It was generally assumed by
army officers mat the president already
has ascertained the willingness of the
allied governments to submit the matter
to tne military men.
Military opinion here is that Mr. Wil
son has expressed the basic idea upon
wuich an immediate armistice can be
reached. The terms to render the Ger
man military power on land and sea
absolutely impotent must be worked out
by the supreme war council.
It will be the mission of the military
advisers to translate the general princi
ples into concrete terms of fortresses
to be occupied, submarine bases to be, :
placed under guard, munitions plants
to be dismantled and strategic rail lines
to be secured against German use. '
Since an armistice on allied terms means {
an end of the war, attention also must i ~
be given to demobilization of the Ger- 1 J
man army, in itself a long process, since ’ -
the great force could not be turned back > -
to civil life *bver night.
Machinery Exists
The machinery tor formulation of the
terms already exists. The military and g
naval boards of the supreme war coun
cil at Versailles furnish the natural
avenue for the assessing of the views
of the military leaders and bringing
them into harmony in a definite state
ment of the conditions upon which fight- |
ing would come to an end. Marshal
Foch, as suprme commander, and Gen
erals Petain, Haig, Pershing, Diaz and •
Gillian, the Belgian chief of staff, are j
ex-officio members of the army board.
The admirals commanding the four n
great navies, British, French, American ;
and Italian, are ex-officio members of
the naval board.
The president proposes that the terms
to be drawn up by these military and
navai agencies are to be submitted to
the respective governments associated
against Germany for ratification befne?:
they are given to -the German
ment. The supreme war council, cons
posed of the premiers of the allies, and
of President Wilson, probably would .
pass upon the program since it is only
armistice conditions and not peace trea- fl
ties which are to be considered.
Discussion of Terms _
As to the terms themselves "the situ
ation on land so far as the western
front is concerned, appears simple. To
make certain that the U-boat fleets are
put out of action, however, by any a
terms except the surrender of the sub- |
marines themselves appears more difli- a
cult. •
Occupation of Helgoland might serve
to bottle up both the submarines and
the German high seas fleet so far as . £
the North sea outlets are concerned, but ?
there is another gateway, via the Kiel |
canal and the Skagg-erak, passing be
tween neutral waters.
On the western front, which domi- i
(Continued on Page 3, Column •.) g, .