The Sentinel=record., 1915-04-18
IS THIS GERMANY'S
 PEACE PROPOSAL?
FORMER COLONIAL SECRETARY SETS FORTH WHAT GERMANY
 IS STRIVING FOR.
Declares That the Principal Conten. ton When Settling Time Comes Will Be a Free Sea--Does Not Want to Be World Power.

Portland, Me, April IA letter from Dr. Bernhard Dernburg, former colonial secretary of the German em. pire, was read at a mass meeting here tonight, at which the German
 side of the European war was set
 forth
 Dr. Dernburg laid stress upon the
 German fight for an open sea and as
 serted that the advantages accruing
 to Germany from permanently retain
 ing the land which it has taken in
 Europe could be disregarded if all the.
 other German demands. especially a
 guaranteed free sea. were fully com
 piled with in making peace and the
 natural commercial relations of Bel
 gium to Germany were considered in q just and workable form.
 Dr. Dernburg's letter, in part, fol lows:
 'l can, with full authority, disclaim any ambition for my country for world domination. She is much too modest on the one hand and too eX- perienced on the other not to know that such state will never be tol- erated by the rest. The aim of Ger many is to have the seas as well as the narrows kept permanently open for the free use of all nations in times of war as well as in times of peace. I personally would even go as far as to neutralize all the seas and narrows permanently by a common and effective agreement guaranteed by all the powers.
 "A free sea is useless except com communication. I should like to see all the cables jointly owned by the | nations and a world mail l system over sea re-established by | common consent"
 The only alternative to an open sea and free intercourse policy would | le a Chinese wall around each codn- | ny. If there is no free intercourse | every country must become self-suf | 'icient. Germany has proven that it | 'anbe done. But this policy would | mean every high customs barrie~s, discrimination, unbounded egoism and | l world bristling in arms.
 Germany does not strive for terri | orial aggrandizembent in Europe; she | foes not believe in conquering and | subjugating unwilling nations. Bel | 5um commands the main outlet Of ] western German trade, is the natural | ,oreland of the empire and has been with untold sacrifice Of | blood and treasure. It offers to Ger | man trade the only outlet to an opeI i sea and has been politically establish | ed, maintained and defended by Eng and in order to keep these natural 1 idvatages from Germany. The love l for small peoples that England heralds | now will never stand investigation as shown by the destruction of the small Boer republics So Belgium cannot be given up. However, these considera- tons would be disregarded if all the other German demands, especially free sea, were fully com piled with and the natural conner cial relations of Belgium to Germany were considered in a just and work able form. In this case Germany will not fail when the time comes to help rebuild the country; in fact she is do ing so now
 In concluding, Dr. Dernburg wrote
 "A permanent peace will mean that German activity must oet a wide scope without infringement upon the rights Of others"