Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-05-28
American Ambassador Con-
fident "That Peace Is On
the Way"
WILSON CAN TAKE
THE INITIATIVE
Believed in Berlin That Germany
Would Welcome Peace, and That
Terms Would Be Very
Moderate

Berlin, via London, May 27-James
Gerard, United States ambassador, is
convinced that peace is n sight. 1c-
cording to ILL ;nterviav puh:ishcf ii
a Munich paper from it's Berlin cor
respondent. M. Gerard quoted rs
saying:
Nothing ran shake ms c;,rfidt nee
that peace j.: "a its way.
THE ambassl Tor refereed to tbs set
Element Of cliff ences between tic
United States aud Germany as pre-.
caring the way for President Wilson
10 take up The question of reac;.
"President Wilson," he said. has
much greater freedom Of action now
TO deal with the immense world prob
lem which will dcterrnnc toe future
attitude of near,, sill tie countries
of the globe.
ut is useless to discuss at this mo-
ment the question as to whether
President wilson's inteTmejiatinn is
desirable Or pr )Eable. In this in
stance facts alone must speak, ave-
enc of the most important facts is
that the neltra s are probably s.s
much Interested in bringing about an
early peace as the hell!cerents.
America urgently needs peace. and
for this reason alone the America
government - under an obligation to
its citizens tn do and surrort every
thing that serves the cause of peace.
A fact of chief Importance is that
my government IS really willing to
take action for the promotion III
peace.
81 am very optimistic regarding the
progress already made O. the idra
that the war should he ended. cvc,,
among the he'll yereEt nations. The
wise and moderate words Of the Ger
man chancallnr regaraing Germany
and her readiness to make peace had
their stronge st echo in America. and
strengthen inc :mprcssion that Ger
ly and with confidence.
when ano:htr step will he taken
and what shape the further dc1elop.
ment of the peace idea will take is
not clear
Germany Would Welcome Peace.
Apparently there is no harm from
either a political or a strategical
standpoint in saying that Germany
would welcome peace. As Arthur Won
Gwinner, the managing director at
the Deutsche bank in Berlin, stated
to the Associated Press correspond
ent recently, Germany is in the posi-
ton of a poker player who has gath
cred in all the money on the table
and naturally is willing 70 break off
an all night session and retire with
his winnings while. the others persist
in continuing in the hope Of recoup-
ing some of their losses.
The cards, however to continue the
smile, are running strongly IN tae
Germans favor. it is pointed cut as
shown in the renewed poatponement
Of the long heralded Anglo-French
offensive in the west, and steady
though slow progress Of the crown
prince at Verdun. the victories OF the
Turks and finally the crushing results
of the Austrian offensive IN the Tren-
tino.
Peace Terms Moderate.
Germany's peace conditions are ex-
tremely moderate in view Of the mill
tary position of Germany and the
entente allies, according tn opinion
hers.
That Germany was open to reason
regarding the lot of Belgium, the &C.
cupied region of France and that ar
rangements for the res.ora:lon If the
Belgian kingdom and the return to
France of the provinces captured In
this war were easily WITHIN the
bounds Of possibility. was the belief
In many quarters here months ago
That belief still prevails in such
quarters even despite Chancellor Won
Bethmann- Hollweg's phrase about the
impossibility Of the restoration Of 'he
status quo which may he interpret.
able in the sense OF Belyium's polit.
1cal and military relations to tbs
western powers.
So, too, it Is considered in these
quarters, are arrangements possible
on most of the territorial and finan.
cial questions involved in an ultti.
mate settlement. provided The entente
allies give up the Expectation III
crushing the military power IT Ger.
many and expecting financial com.
pensation for Belgium, or the mos
important Of all. reversing the results
OF the Franco-Prussian war and TAX
ing from Germany Alsace and Lcr'
raine. Nothing, it is declared, woui;
force any section of the nation, ever
the most extreme Of the peace advo
Gates. to entertain the last men:ivne(
possibility.