Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-10-27
GERMANS SAID TO
SEE PEACE HOPES
TERMS DISCUSSED.
information Leaking Out in Ber.
lin Leads to Belief Kaiser
Would Open Negotia-
tions With Foes.
"FEELERS" ARE PUT OUT
Suspected Something Is Going
on Behind Walls Of Sc
crecy-Teuton Terms
Would Be Heavy
"FEELERs" ARE PUT OUT

which the various political groups and
big Industries, commercial and agri-
cultural organizations are pursuing IN
discussion OF the tabooed topic Of the
public discussion OF 1t in the press -
Forbidden. il tho absorbing topic In
Germany society. indicates, too. that
the government is giving c~onsidera-
t!on to h subject Of peace.
This discussion and the %Oracular ut
terances Of DR.. Karl Helfferich. secre-
tary of the German imperial treasury:
Sir Edward Grey, British foreign Sec
rotary, and other responsible person
ages on possible AND impossible COM
suspicion that something may be go
ing on behind the curtain.
Allies Being Sounded Out?
Such sounding out" il undertaken
at the instance OF persons In authority.
undoubtedly q been done informally
and In such q as to permit Or
q disavowal. should circumstances re-
Quire.
No statement as to Germany's peace
conditions can be obtained. nor is It
even certain the government has
reached any formal conclusion as TO
the extent Of guarantees" for the
future security Of Germany to which
referred repeatedly in public utter
ances.
Should 1t be permitted. however, to
hazard q guess, based on personal OBJ
%servatiOn and deductions n remarks
dropped in official circles. the AssOcta-
ted Press correspondent would say
Germany's terms at present in view
include neither the absorption of Bel
GUM nor other wholesale annexattonS
of the extent demanded by the blue
sky enthusiasts. Who seem bound on
adding to Germany practically every
thing now occupied by German armies.
Large indemnity Chief Desire:
The cardinal point in the desires Of
official Germany, II these assumptions
are correct. Is at present q large In
demnity. This Is demanded not only to
compensate Germany for the steadily
growing war costs. but to provide n
OF those guarantees against. future
attack referred to. The usual reply to
arguments that exhausted nations
probably would be unable to raise the
need only a paying out the bill
lions spent annually on armaments. or
materially reduce such payments to
finance the required indemnity.
The second cardinal point is the res
toration Of Germany's colonial empire
In undiminished form. with certain ad-
Gittons, presumably at the expense OF
Belgium. That nation would be per-
mttted to retain its independence and
territories. with the exception Of the
N1SOSc lIUc VI LOTIIcS6cS.
Channel Base Idea Abandoned.
The demand for annexation Of a
strip of territory down to the coast
line has been dropped--if. indeed. it ever
formed parl of the governments pro-
gram. Even naval experts are no
longer agreed on the necessity or adj
visibility Of securing the much dis
cuSsed naval base or the English
channel. particularly in view of the de-
velopment Of the submarines and the
increase in their radius Of action.
An insistent demand is heard in
some quarters that in case of with
drawal from Belgium, Germany should
retain contr4l OF h railroad for a
number of years. but this, 40 far as IL
ascertainable. is not an essential con-
dition.
France is looked upon to provide q
Territorial demands against france
apparently are confined to rectiication
OF The frontier for strategic reasons.
Russian Situation Less Clear.
In the east the situation is less clear.
Earlier In the war the government ap-
parehtly did not contemplate or even
desire accessions of territory at Rus
sia's expense beyond a possible advance
of the frontier for strategic reasons t.
the strong defensive swamp and river
line formed by the Bug, Narew, and
Warta rivers. 1t was felt that retention
VI 0uSStd1ls GOlduUT ny - SO80la WOUlO
present certain advantages from tile
viewpoint Of German internal politics.
The steady chain Of victories and the
insistence of Austria produced q
change. however. Chancellor Won Beth
mann-Hollweg in his August speech
indicated clearly a determination to de-
prive Russia Of her Polish territories.
but whether these districts would have
some form of national autonomy, be an
nexed to Austria Hungary. or admin
istered by Germany and Austria-Hun-
gary jointly. IL still uncertain.
Germans Hold Armies invincibls.
This statement OF German demands
Is symptomatic of the belief of prac-
tically all Germans that the German ar
mics cannot be beaten and that the
Balkan situation soon will clear up in
their favor. giving them a road to Tur-
key, whence copper. cotton, foodstuffs.
n other supplies may be obtained.
Then. they say, Germany can wait un-
til her opponents are ready TO acknow-i
ledge themselves beaten.
To all arguments a. to the imDoaoi.
biltty Of keeping the manhood Of the
nation on the flrinG line for q protract-
ed period. as to the steadily GROWING
financial burden Of the war. N 70 tho
paralysis Of German business 1lfa. OK
copt a devoted to war purposes, and u
to the generslsdesire fDrspeGce. thoy re-
ply that other nations are su@0rine
equally q that, Germany win net -