The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-23
WILSON'S NOTE
CAUSE OF MUCH
JOY IN BERLIN
Presidents Message to War
ring Powers Hailed With
Delight in Germany

announcement OIL PreSlQenC WiiSou .
peace endeavOr was accorded q ire
mendous welcome in Berlin. me
i'm preston of official and newspaper
circles appeared in the noon editions
under large display headlines as the
all important news of the Christmas
season, reviving the interest in the
German peace overtures which had
sunk to low point under the influ-
ence of the preliminary declarations
of statesmen of the Entente powers
Charge Grew presented the note at
the Foreign Office Thursday evening.
Gerard in Berlin
Ambassador Gerard arrived about
midnight from Copenhagen, accom-
panied by his wife. He was met at
the station by numerous members OF
the American colony and men OF MS
staff and their wives.
The Ambassador looked very well
and said he had had a very pleasant
voyage At Kirkwall the ship was
detained only two days instead Of the
customary three.
EVERYWHERE ne was heartily well
coined especially In Copenhage zen,
! where the Herman Annhassad Tor,
/ Count RantzaI,, gave a banquet in his
honor Amodg those who welcomes
Ambassador Gerard at the Beerlin sta
lion were the legation councillors,
Charge Grew and Consul General
Nives, Attaches Gherardi and Pinot.
9eoretaries Wilson, Kirk, Hartman,
Osborne and Scott, and Drs. Harms
and Wegster.
The embassy was besieged by
newspaper men seeking additional in
for nation about the Presidents note.
! Ready to State Her Terms
If the reply of the Entente allies
to the German peace overture leaves
; the door open, it is announced semi
officially, the German government
, will make it's chief peace terms
known Immediately:
German papers comment with dis
appointment on Lloyd Georges
speech, but they. declare that 1T does
not contain a single line to justify
the supposition that the answer Of
the Entente allies will deliberately re-
ject Germany's offer.
The Frankfurter Zeitung declares
that there is nothing to prevent the
demand for reparation, restitution
and guarantees being made in actual
negotiations. The British Premier,
it says, appears to be afraid of real
negotiations, because he does not trust
the, steadfastness Of the Entente. If
the Entente reply, contains conditions
which would make Germany appear
TO enter the negotiations as a peni-
tent, it says, it is clear that the allies
do not honestly desire peace.
The Socialist paper Vorwaerts,
which. was the first to talk peace il,
Germany, expresses deep disappoint-
nent at the speech. It appears, It
says, that the Entente refuses to
make peace except upon the ruins of
Germany's military power; secondly,
the Entent, because Germany breaks
treaties, will make n. treaty with
Germany at all, but will itself take
substantial guarantees. by force of
arms; thirdly, that Germany must
, swallow the Entente terms whole and
unseen before Lloyd George will con-
descend to negotiations.
IAoyd George. says the Vorwaerts,
speaks like a Judge in robes thunder
ing q sentence against a poor sinner.
It also compares him to a superman
and to employers who, during a strike
demand that the workmen resume
work Internationally. The Vor-
. Waerts sees everywhere in the IAN
glage of the speech g stern rejection
Of Germans offer to negotiate. and
hence 1t concludes that Lloyd George
is illogical in finally saying that the
Entente must wait until it hears Ger
nlany's terms.
'"The whole tenor of the speech
| the VOrwaerts continues, "shows that
Lloyd George uses the absence of
| terms in Germans note as a mere
pretext, whereas the real reason for
his refusal of our offer is that Ger
many wants to negotiate rather than
to surrender Internationally"
The Vorwaerts concludes with an
attack on the Socialist seceders and
declares that the British Premier has
+. shown the falsity Of their allegations
that the only obstacles to peace are
! Germany's refusal to negotiate and
the abandonment of annexations
The Berlin press receives President
Wilson's notes to the belligerent poN-
ers with varying views, scarcely any
two papers looking alike at the propo-
sition. The views range from the en-
thnsiastie welcome accorded the rlap
~ the Tageblatt to the unexpectedly
CYNICAL quasi sense of the Vossiscn
Eeitung, with the middle grounds rep
| resented by the Lokal Anzeiger, whi h.
prefers to await the answer Of the en-
tente powers to the Emperor's note
before deciding for or against W"
Herr Bernhard, in the Vossische
Zeitung, views President Wilson's pro-
posal as actuated purely from Amer
lean, selfish motives. He says Ameri-
ca finds itself in the position Of hav-
ing passed the heyday points in it's
financial operations with the entente
and now wants peace and the coop
Grafton of England in preparing for
what it alludes to as the inevita BILE
/ Japanese trouble. Herr Bernhardt
refers to Secretary Lansings state
ment regarding America being drawn
into war as a distinct tip to Germany,
yet he is convinced that America de-
sires to avoid such a conflict, primar-
lily for selfish reasons.
| The Vossische Zeitung declares also
that President Wilson need not de-
ceive himself into thinking that he
can lay down any precepts for the
conference. There will be no truce, it
says, but the lighting will continue,
| with Germany's terms increasing in
severity as she achieves military sue
,cesses.
president Wilson's step we well
come" are the words with which The
odore Wolff opens his comment in the
fT