ALSACE AND LORRAINE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume L, Issue 175, 25 October 1917, Page 5

ALSACE AND LORRAINE

LONDON, Oct. 10. The Imperial Chancellor, Dr Michaelis speaking in the Reichstag, declared that Germany was striving to . bwng about a peafce that would permit her the widest economic and cultured development. So long as her enemies demanded that Germany should yield up a single piece , of tan soil, or attempt to drive a wedge between the Kaiser and his people, Germany would refuse to make peace. ; . Baron von Kuhlmann, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, followed, and. declared that there was only one answer to the question whether Germany could make concessions regarding Alsace, and Lorraine. The answer was: No, never so long as a single German could hold a gun. The war, the Minister proceeded was being continued merely for Alsace and Lorraine, Britain having given a pledge to France *hat she would fight for their conquest as long as France desired. He referred to the, French claim that there annexation," and said that the latter word was bashfully' used to .cover up what in reality would be forceful conquest. If there were to be disannexatfons, which year of the world s history was to be taken as the basis for + the Situs quo? He reminded France that she had not always possessed Toul and Verdun. Baron von Kuhlmann concluded by asserting that as *« " £ e read the world situation the only impediment to peace was the matter of ilsacT and Lorraine. Other questions could.be settled negotiation and without further bloodshed He was strongly of opinion that public speeches did not help P for peace, because they had to be simple ,and could not contain all the aspects of the intricate "York" Tribune publishes a cablegram which declares U,.\ K tne £irKf democracy is rapidly growing in Germany. The Junkers are enraged at *nd army failures and a new peace offer will be made in a month. - - ■-•- - • -■•