Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-09
GERMANY READY
TO DISCUSS PEACE
[Continued From First Page.l

many's Turkish allies and threatened
the most vulnerable points of the
British Empire.
Although this situation would ex-
plain g. desire for peace on the part
of Germany's enemies, he declared,
none of them had made overtures.
Instead, they were clinging to the in
tentions which they had announced
publicly with naive brutality" at the
beginning of the war.
The chancellor then reviewed re-
cent utterances concerning conditions
of peace made in countries opposed
to Germany, such as the handing over
of Alsace and Lorraine to France, the
annihilation of "Prussian militarism," /"
the expulsion of the Turks, cession of
the left bank of the Rhine, and the
creation of a greater Serbia, including
Bosnia.
It was true, the chancellor con-
tinued. there there were some per-
sons in the countries at war with Ger
many who took a sensible position,
but they were in the minority and
their voices, like those of certain
members of tho English House of
Lords, were unheard.
Theories Lose Force
THE theories advanced by Ger
many's enemies, he said, had lost their
force. People had ceased speaking
of a war of twenty years. The protest
that the war was being waged for the
protection of small nations had lost
its persuasive power, in view of re-
cent events in Greece.
Small countries are in a serious
plight since England has been fighting
for them," he remarked.
He discussed the principal of ma
tionality as applied by Germany's
enemies. He asked whether the
British colonial secretary knew that
pf hn 1 ;,J, hi oe A
more than 81 per cent. spoke German
as the mother tongue. He asked
whether Poland belonged to Russia
by right of nationality, whether this
principle lost its power and value il
applied to India or Egypt. Germany's
enemies, blinded at the beginning of
the war by false stories, excited to
hatred, were now able after military
and diplomatic defeats. to cling only
to the idea of Germanys annihila-
ton.
Have Plenty of Food
For this purpose there had been in
vented the theory that Germany could
| be starved. On this point the chan
cellor said. with particular emphasis:
I'VE all agree that our food supplies
| are sufficient. that the only important
question is distribution. The economic
| unit stretching from Arras into Meso-
potamia cannot be crushed"
AS to copper, the chancellor de-
| clared. Germany had immense stores
sufficient for years and years. He
spoke of Germany's success in produc-
| ing substitutes for certain articles
such as rubber.
Referring to the discussion whether
Germanys enemies would be able to
| bring greatly superior forces into the
! field the chancellor mentioned the fact
that France already has called to the
colors the elias sof 1917. bringing into
the war youths under the usual mill
| tary age.
The chancellor referred to the
charge that members OF the crew of n
German submarine had been shot
while defenseless by the crew of the
British patrol boat Baralong and said
he English press had concealed the
facts OF this case from the nation. As
he made these remarks the whole
house arose as an expression of indig-
nation.
Speaking of the guarantees of the
position of Germany in the future. to
be included in the peace terms, DR..
Won Bethmann-H -Hollweg insisted that
the longer the war is continued, with
| increasing bitterness, by Germany's
enemies. the greater is the need of
such guarantees.
I'VE do not fight in order to subju-
gate other nations" he said. I'VE fight
erty. For the German government the
war has always been what it was at
the beginning war of defense for
the German nation and for her future.
''The war can be terminated only by
a peace which will give the certitude
that war will not return. We all agree
about that. There lies and there al
ways will lie the root of our strength -
DR.. Scheidemann's address was re-
ceived with a. degree of interest sec
ond only to that aroused by the chan
cellor's speech. He reminded the
house that at the beginning of the
war the Socialists had approved the
attitude of the German government.
A glance at the map, he continued,
would show that Germany, conscious
of her strength and her successes
could now speak of peace without rum
ming the risk of being considered
weak-hearted or dispirited.
DR.. Scheidemann protested against
| the attitude of those who dream of the
annexation of much territory and
| spoke with equal earn estness in de-
nunciation of those enemies of Ger
many who advocate ACKNOWLEDGMENT
of this country. He protested also
against the crusade in foreign coun-
tries in opposition to "Prussian mill
tarism' because this conception was
wrong and. furthermore, because il
was a matter which concerned no one
but the Germans themselves. The
| French, he said, should abandon the
| idea of anneXing Alsace and Lorraine.
Although Germany had won enor-
nous successes with her armies. he
continued, they had been gained at
the price of heavy sacrifices. In view
of the present situation, the question
of peace was important i'm all coun-
tries. The difficulty lay in the fact
that statesmen did not know how to
| begin negotiations, fearing such a step
would be considered a proof of weak
ness.
In this connection DR.. Scheidemann
spoke of the statement made recently
| in the English house of commons by
Baron Courtney that the British gov
ernment should SOW itself ready to
accept any suggestions which would
end the war. He referred to the atti-
tude of Italian Socialists and to the
| utterances of Count Andrassy, former
Hungarian premier. He asserted that,
| according to reliable private informa-
tion, the longing for peace in France
was general.
DR.. Scheidemann insisted that his
remarks. like those of Baron Court