STATEMENT BY MR. ROOSEVELT.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14893, 16 October 1918, Page 5

STATEMENT BY MR. ROOSEVELT.

NEGOTIATIONS REGRETTED

PRESIDENTEAL UTTERANCES

DENOUNCED

ALLIES AND GUARANTEES

(Australian-N.Z. Cable Association.)

New York, Oct. 14

At Oyster Bay Mr Roosevelt issued the following statement: "I regret that President Wilson has entered into negotiations. We have announced that we will submit to a negotiated peace. ■ I earnestly hope that President "Wilson will send back word to Germany stating that we demand unconditional surrender.'' ;

Mr Roosevelt added:—"ln any future negotiations by President Wilson I trust he will remember that good faith demands that we* act in concert with the Allies and that the war should be finished by the fighting men. Good faith also demands that there should be no confusion of issues- Jby even a parj tial return to the bad old days when , conversation and Note writing was con-

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sidered adequate action after the sinking of the Lusitania and kindred atrocities. I earnestly hope that the Senate will emphatically repudiate the socalled 'fourteen points' and similar ufc teranees of the President."

Mr Baker, Secretary for War, says the War Department is going right ahead. ,

Mr James Tuoliy, the "New York World's" London correspondent, states that although the German appeal-for an armistice has not officially been communicated to the Allies, it is learned; that the whole subject was exhaustively discussed last week at the Versailles conference. The 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, viz.:—Allied occupation of Metz, strassburg and Coblenz.

The Conference endorsed Marshal Foch's list.

Marshal Foch also presented for the consideration of the Conference a scheme for making Germany impotent as a military factor.

The scheme includes the surrender of the German fleet, and its distribution among the Allies according to theii naval losses. ' v

The destruction of Krupp's and th« Spada armament works was also considered, but it was' believed that the bettor plan would be that these works, as well as other great German and Austrian industrial plants, should be utilised to compensate for machinery and material Josses m France and Belgium.

The newspapers throughout the country comment variously on the Note, showing a tendency to regard it with suspicion.

The "New York Evening Telegram" says:—"The Confidence Man of Europe offers us a gold brick, but we are not going to invest."

The consensus of opinion in high quarters- is 1 that the- German reply is unacceptable, and is likely to be answered in such terms «» will expose German duplicity and the worthlessness of her promises. .

It is opined that the most stringent terms must be imposed on Germany before listening to proposals for an armistice.-

Some Congressmen suggest that as a guarantee of good faith Germany should give the Allies as hostages Metz, Essen, and Heligoland, and also recall the submarines and place them under an Allied guard. They urge that if the Reichstag is representative of the people it should arrest the Kaiser, the Crown Prince, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff and try them for their crimes or hand them over to the lAllies.

The "New York Times" says: "No armistice can be granted Germany on the terms she proposes, which would permit her to withdraw in safety hef armi&s and war material to shorter lines of defence. Incalculable militarr a* 1 vantage would, accrue to Germany from a cessation'-.of J&rrniPafc 'this: time: --. Sur^ render, ' not armistice must be precedent to talk';-about; peace.; Let &sr many give guarantee* that by iha withdrawal from the occupied! territory she means disarmament uns confession of defeat. Let her give up Metz, Strassburg, her navy and submarines into the keeping of the United States and the Allies. No peace can be made with the Holienzollerns, and no armistice without surrender." '

It is reported that Prince Maximilian's resignation is imminent.