ATTITUDE IN AMERICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16982, 16 October 1918, Page 8

ATTITUDE IN AMERICA.

■». v '.k. : " °* CHORUS OF CONDEMNATION, , ; ... / .; v "WASHINGTON. Oct. 14. The German reply to the President's 1 " ' Note of Inquiry has been . received by the • . " Swiss " Legation and handed jto Mr. Robert Lansing; Secretary of State. The -y A " President immediately called Mr. Lansing X and Mr. N. D. Baker, Secretary for War, y 7.^to the White House for a conference. -The j - : .5. ; -'test of tHe Note was identical with that • .. received from . the .< wireless station at Nauen, Germany. j -'^v■ ' - Maturer consideration has not influenced ; official in Washington favourably regarding: the Note." It is pointed out that ' "the President is not obliged to accept,the 7 proposal", as -bo did not reply to the pre- ■ : vious Note, but merely asked questions in V, order .to ; get a clearer understanding ;of the German, attitude.' ■ Mr. Wilson spent ''the day in company with Colonel House, " " his confidential . adviser, in New York, and • .returned to, Washington in the afternoon, C;-maintaining silence- regarding the Note. h> The newspapers throughout the country -comment'variously on the Note, showing a ' tendency to regaoJ it with suspicion. The " New. York' Evening Telegram says: "The ;v. confidence man of Europe offers us a gold •1. brick," but, we are'not going.to invest." ' .-.The consensus of opinion iubigb.quartf[ *' fers is ' that ; the German * reply is not ack." ceptable, and ,is likely to, be answered in '* ■£ fuch. terms as will expose German duplij ?.- :» city and 4 the : worthlessness of her promises. ' The opinion /is that the ' most stringent terms must, be imposed on GerW, many before listening to ' proposals J for an . armistice;(> r . gome • Congressmen suggest |■, that as a guarantee of good faith Germany shall give to the Allies as. hostages Metz, Essen and Heligoland, "and also recall the ' submarines and placfl them under an allied - X,: guard. ; ' They : urge tbat if the Reichstag :V ; is representative 'of ' the people it should arrest the Kaiser,' Crown Prince, Hindlenburg; and Lndendorf!, try them for their : crimes, arid /hand them over to the Allies. > It'.is understood here that the British ' Government opposes the armistice unless .>»■ complete , guarantees, military and naval, aro given.';,' ;<7 . . . ;pV *• ■" More Notes Wanted. 7 V •" Senator : Lodge introduced a resolution . v into the Senate favouring the breaking off 7; ? ' of further ; communications with Germany 1?' J " ' immediately, 'except to demand utwondift»nal' stirrendsr. -. • ,*; Sir. W. Taft, interviewed concern- %' -ing,Gotwany's answer, said: " Should- the parties at the . peace counsel not agree on the practical , interpretation of the Presidents 14 principles, Germany and Aus- ' tria- wild withdraw with lines of de,v, fence strengthened and in "a better posi'e tion to continue hostilities. It is asked V, .if Germany, is. sincere. Assuredly she has nothing to lose and all to gain by a'c« ceptance of her proposition. Otherwise « she faces unconditional surrender, which our people fad one allies demand." •• ■ Mr. Theodore Roosevelt stated: "I.retv gret Mr. Wilson entered into negotiations. Wo have announced that we will not sub- ;; mit to a negotiated peace, and I earnestly hope- that the President will instantly .. send back word to Germany that we dev. .".man<J.; unconditional surrender. In any m future negotiations by the President I trust he will remember that good faith fv- demands that we act in concert with our v- allies, and that the war should be finished ;; by fighting men. Good faith also demands I T'- that* there should be no confusion of issues 7 by even a partial return to the bad old days when conversation and Note-writing '""'was- considered adequate action after the! sinking of the Lusitania and kindred atrocities. I earnestly hope the Senate will emphatically repudiate the so-called , 14 points and similar utterances of the .t ■. President."

■The newspapers, commenting on Germany's answer, point out that it is difficolt to determine whether the Note • emanates from the German people or the - criminal s Government; One newspaper asks what are the credentials of the voice speaking;, and adds that a satisfactory ~ credential would be the announcement of the abdication of the Kaiser and. the re- ' nunciation of the succession by his dis- - credited, dynasty. At present one can '-»•< see the peace and justice and victory ;A. nearer than human prescience could have ■foreseen - a 1 few weeks ago... v -The New-York Tribune, commenting on tffo matter, fays: "The Imperial German Government has ' returned a dreaded answer, pretending to accept wholly the Conditions. Germany does l^^offeit^nwendek ■" Why should she - haven't' demanded it." The Now r York; Times" commenting, on .: . ihe-Note,, gays i "No armistice can be If granted to Germany on the terms she propMßfc, which would permit :her to with--18 safely he? armies and war

material to shorter lines of defence. Incalculable military advantage would accrue to Germany from the cessation of arms at this time. Surrender, not armistice, must be precedent to talk about peace. Let Germany give guarantees that by withdrawal from occupied territory she means disarmament and confession of defeat. Let her give up Metz, Strassburg, her navy and her submarines into the beeping of the United States and the Allies. No peace can bo made with the Hohonzolerns; no armistice without surrender."

! The Washington correspondent of the J New York Times and other Washington correspondents state, after a canvass of official circles, it can be asserted that the reply is not regarded as a frank, straightforward Note. It is considered that it is cleverly worfled in order ,to indicate apparent agreement to Mr. Wilson's general principles, but the Note leaves details open in a manner which might render futile American and allied aims.

Senator Hitchcock, chairman of tho Foreign Relations Committee, interviewed, said that tho Gorman reply was encouraging. Ho believed that this was a step towards peace. It was an acceptance of terras, but the offer could not bo accepted without important modifications. We must have military guarantees before agreeing to an armistice, and the Kaiser must place full and permanent' power for making peace and war in the hands of the people. Tho power of tho Reichstag must also bo unfettered.

Damage to be Made Good.

Senator Thomas said: I believe the Note sufficiently definite to require the President to consult the Allies regarding the next step. Germany must pay indemnities for all damage done on land and by murderous submarine warfare.

Sir Eric Geddes, interviewed, said: " I lay great stress on Germany's impending re.iewal of the submarine effort. I am of opinion that we should not be deluded into the hope of an early' peace, but should prepare for two more years' of war."

Senator Thomas introduced a resolution stipulating that there should be no peace with Germany without specific recognition of the self-governing rights of tho 1 Slavic and Polish peoples. The Canadian press is united in agreeing that the German peace manoeuvre is only an elaborate plot to gain military advantage. It regrets that Mr. Wilson agreed, to any discussion whatever. loch's Reported Suggestions. The London correspondent of the New York World says that although tho Gerappeal for an armistice has . not officially, been communicated to tho Allies, it is learned that the wholo subject was exhaustively discussed last week at the Verfailles Conference. Tho Premiers of England, France, and Italy, and military representatives of all the Allies were present. Marshal Foch presented a list of the guarantees- he considered necessary before granting an armistice, namely, Allied occupation of Mete, Strassburg, and Coblenz. The conference endorsed the list Marshal Foch also presented, for the consideration of the conference a scheme for making Germany impotent, as.a military factor. The scheme included the surrender of ' the German fleet and its distribution among the Allies according to naval losses, the destruction of the Krupp and Skoda armament works. The scheme was considered, . but it was believed that it would bo a better plan for these works as well as other great German and Austrian industrial plants to be utilised to compensate } for machinery and material losses in France and Belgium. . Mr. N. D. Baker, Secretary for War, SAys that the War Department is going right ahead.. • ■ . ; Senator H; F. Ashurst, speaking in the Senate, said that President Wilson' refused'to .consider any armistice of his own making. s Cessation of hostilities could only Bo made,through the generals in the field. : . *

After an. interview with the President Senator . Ashurst, gave an ' interview in which; he said that Mr. Wilson, did not desire in the slightest to weaken the allied will to victory. IHe pointed , out that Mr, Lloyd George and M; Clemen-, ceau had already been consulted. ' )