South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-26


set the matter for hearing mex, Mon
day morning.
last month. are Members of the
Pam ermauic league. $4,000; indie
pendent committee. 10000; popu-
lar cammittea for the rapid crush
ing OF England. z0.OUO-this last
figure. of course doubling upon the
other two. o. is from this NOISY
quarter that AN the talk of "a Ger-
ma.Iz.I Ecl-ium co.n-~ Germany
millions wouldn't d-ht another day
for .hc country.
A. % The democrs tiza.Iou ur the
empire. the mauoeJ,-s~ OF Ger
. m3pSs rLie.~ provide the lc-t e.i-
dea,e of the German demand ior
responsible government. The .,ai~,r
and his advisers haHe FOR uuut1s
been triding with the pnestion.
thereby taoitIy admitting the need
for reform. and having taken the
great plunge toward real co.ces-
sious already they are rot likely To-
refrain from giving reaHty TO the
semblauce once they convince them
selves that the alternative is the
utter ruin OF the empire. dynasticai-
ly. militarily and economically
Prest Wilson'S principal de
clared detectives are. therefore.
nearer TO attainment than most
people imagine
England stands for the complete
restoration OF Belgium and the abo-
lition of militarism. With regard
TO this latter point there is no
doubt that a responsible German
government will eagerly concede it.
Information has reached Paris that
there has been a lot of quiet talk in
Germany lately about limitation OF
ornaments. The biggest and best
equipped army in the world failed
TO bring world domination 10 Ger
many. and the German people real
ize this more acutely than any
other. Already secret societies Of
young Germans are spTinging up all
over the empire with a democratic
/ program that is the complete mega
ton of kaiserism, and when the
cost Of the war comes 10 be counted.
no one Will be able 10 stem the
movement for limitation of arma-
ments.
Belgium. the characterization of
Germany the limitation of arma-
ments and Alsace-Lorraine are and
will remain the dominant peace
problems-things for which the ma
tions will go on lighting until one
side or the other yields As TO the
! first three. agreement as between
\ Germany and the entente powers is
not impossible; Germany has step
! ped just a little way toward surren-
| der upon these points, and will go
much further in the same direc-
ton as her situation fails TO i'm
/ prove.
| Alsace Lorraine, and at first glance
it would seem that in the length Of
the war depended upon the fate Of
those two provinces it might so on
for ever, so utterly irreConcilable
are the positions taken up by Ger
man and French statesmen.
The return Of Alsace- Lorraine 90
France is an absolutely indispen-
sable condition of peace; We will
not even consent 10 allow it TO be
made a question for diplomatic ne
gotiations," said NJ. Ribot at this
years Marine celebration.
II is a fact that Germany's rulers
have not been consistently intracta-
BILE over the Alsace-Lorraine prob
lem. During the first two years Of
the war their secret agents several
times invited France TO talk" about
the provinces. but always the re-
quest was accompanied by the hint
that a separate peace was what
Germany was seeking. and this was
unthinkable 10 France. The curt
answer on each occasion was that
there could be no negotiation upon
the point: that France would insist
upon the reCtincatiOn OF her 1870
frontiers in their entirety. allowing
OF no partition Of ancient French
soil.
Above the southern door of the
Reichstag building. is "a sculptured
lion with one paw placed ferociOusly
upon a globe upon which is in
~cribed "Elsass- Lothringe i"-the
German name for Alsace- Lorraine.
II is an unfortunate symbol. but IL
accurately represents what the Ger
mans themselves think of their pos
session of the provinces. And un-
I'll their attitude is radically mOdi-
fed the problem will make peace
difficult Yielding on all other
major war problems and satisfying
America and England. how and
when she will satisfy France on the
question OF Alsace-LOrraine is be-
yond present prediction.