The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-12-29
MUDDYING THE WATERS

SWhSciinhet hSopohuiik w sHc oWiSc
note suggesting a peace effort, the
Berlin government says: =
In agreement with the Presi.
dent OF the United States. the
government In OF the opinion that
the great work OF preventing
future wars can only be taken In
hand after the present world war
has terminated.
II does not seem fair to assume
that Germany is ain agreement with"
President Wilson on this very i'm
portant point. Rather, the use Of
such language suggests a purpose
at Berlin to commit the President to
an attitude he has not been under
stood, at least in any Of his public
statements, to have taken.
Whether the Berlin foreign Office
has stated any terms on which Il is
prepared TO make peace, there Is in
dication that II Is going TO present,
in confidence. -some sort Of statement,
through President Wilson. Secre-
tary Lansing's announcement that
hereafter he will not be able to give
any answer, affirmative or negative,
10 inquiries as 10 whether such n
statement has been received. indi-
Gates the expectation that IL will be
received.
From all the moves Of Germany
thus far, II would appear that her
purpose is TO keep President Wilson
busy with the business Of mediation,
or ut least serve as q meeting point
for transmission Of expressions, but
to make no statement that viii
open the way for an actual commune
ton Of purposes with the entente ma
tons. Their attitude Is becoming
clearer; that Of Germany, less plain.
President Wilson has before him n
series Of questions which immedi-
ately concern the relations this
country Is going TO bear toward the
war In future. He addressed his So
called peace note. which was not In
reality peace note at all, TO all the
warning countries, rs an effort to get
statements by which the future
course Of this Government could be
steered; and. while he made the same
request Of all the fighting countries,
II is reasonably apparent that what
he really wanted TO know was Ger
many's attitude. II the United
States is going to be dragged into
the war-and there 10 the highest
authority for saying we have come
TO its verge-it Is pretty apparent
on which side this country will be
arrayed. Germany, instead of giving
the sort Of response that was wanted,
has undertaken to draw the Presi-
dent into the position Of the particu-
lar supporter Of a German project
that is manifes.ly impossible Of ac-
ceptance by the entente. and that has
been rejected already by their state
leaders. Incidentally, IL was Ber-
Inns purpose to make the German
people. disaffected. tired and sick OF
the war, believe that an effort for
peace had been put forth, but had
been rejected by the western allies,
SO that there could henceforward be
only one course for Germany: to 10
ahead with the war. That course,
is the one the Prussian
ruling class really desires 20 adopt
unless II can get peace on its own
terms, which II knows ii cannot. This
class is prepared to proceed, now, to
a career Of ruthlessness, and TO di-
rect that ruthlessness against the
United States along with tho other
But II wants the German
first, to be convinced that
peace is impossible and therefore
no alternative to this course remains.
Perhaps Germany will have con-
WINGED some elements Of the Ameri-
can public, possibly she will have i'm
pressed even some neutral govern
ments, that she has been straightfor-
ward and sincere throughout; but it
must be doubted. There is circum-
report that Switzerland's |
peace note was issued asa result of |
pressure brought to bear on Berne
by the Berlin government; in sub
stance, a threat that Switzerland
would have to help bring Germany's |
kind of peace now, or else might ex-
pect to be treated as other minor
have been. There are two |
bits of internal evidence, in the Swiss |
note and the German reply to it, in |
favor of this theory. One is that the |
Swiss note indicates that the Swiss
federal council has been for solfe |
time in touch with President Wilson
in regard to the peace move; yet this