Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-23


HoIlweg, oppose this group, and even
the kaiser has only followed It's advice
intermittently. The point about these
reaetionary extremists is that they
can not and do not claim TO represent
the nation. but only endeavor to con-
troll the kaiser and the government.
which Is solely responsible to him in
| war time.
All the rest OF the nation is thoroly
united as to the war and the peace
terms that are confidently expected
to follow within the next few months
These parties include both wings OF
the Social Democrats, minority ana
majority. the Radical party, a part
OF the National Liberal party, and the
Central or Catholic party-only to
mention the most important. These
parties alone secured over 80 per cent
of the votes at the Iast election Cin
| 1929.
All these parties agree in the claim
! that they are in favor of peace" AMI
that the democratic nations. England,
France and America, ore "prolouging
the war" All agree in supporting the
German government in its empty talk
/ OF disarmament" All reject the
idea of league to enforce peace or
society Of nations. as favored by
nearly all parties Of England, France,
and America. The Germans favor a
so-called disarmament, because their
victories in the w.r have been due
mainly to their immensely superior
/ capacity for producing armament.
when compared to the other nations
! of Europe. II all .kIsting supplies of
armament were destroyed. the Ger
mans. with their superior military o.
/ ganiZation and higher degree OF in
! dustrial organization and greater pro-
dhcSag power. could oyerwnelm
Europe even more easily than they
did this time. 1t was by a similar
process of reasoning that certain Ger
imam militarists before the war pro-
posed that the term OF military ser
vice for all European nations be re-
duced to one year The argument
was that the German military ma
chine could produce good soldiers in
less space OF time than the other mill
! tary machines, and that such a
method would increase the relative
military superiority of Germany.
Oppose Peace League.
The overwhelming majority of Ger
mans OF all these parties are opposed
to a league TO enforce peace and a
| society of nations, because in such a
society Germany would be in a mluof-
ity. There is no method of reckon
ing by which she would count for
something more than one-siXth of the
! total voting power. Even with her
| allies and 'the little neighboring ma
tiOns under her economic and mill
tary domination the forces aGains;
her would be no more than two to one
! in any such organization. In this.
as in all other important points, the
l nj
agreement with the Center and even
with most of the National Liberals.
All of these parties are in suhstan-
tial agreement also on nearly all the
most important territorial questions.
They all stand for the restoration o.
The territorial status quo ante, with
certain notifications. They all reckon
upon the continued economic domina-
lion of Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey.
sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, aai
Holland by Germany after the war.
.They alt demand the restitution or
,he German colonies. They all de-
'nand that German and Austrian Po-
land shall remain German and Aus
irian.
on the question of plebiscites in
disputed territories there are many
shades of opinion. but the prevailing
I opinion is that plebiscitcs may pc
safely demanded under such condi-
tions as will make a pro-German de-
tison absolutely certain. For eS-
nmrle, the Stockholm conference
wishes a plebiscite in Alsace-Lorraine
on the basis Of the voting lists of the
latest election in Alsace before tiiv
war" There is no reason TO suppose
that any of these parties will refuse
TO accept this principle both for AL
SAGE and for certain other territories,
whore non-Germans have ben driven
out and sufficient Germans sui isti-
lutcd In recent years to assure Ger
man majority
Differ Over IndCmnitics.
There are also aeveral shades or
opinion about indemnities. There
have been we'll -substantated reports
that a number of Influential groups
In the German government are pre-
pared to grant n nominal pseudo Ia
demnity to Belgium in order to quiet
the International clamor about the
wrongs done 10 that country. All the
German parties favor this diplomatic
subterfuge.
That the leaders of the German So
cialist minority are absolutely loyal
to the kaiser in tie war they have
repeatedly demonstrated Perhaps
the most conclusive evidence may De
GAINED from speeches made by the
two most important leaders in tine
reichstag since the Russian revolu-
tion. Roth Haase and Ledebour ac-
vocated In the reichstag a separate
peace with Russia, with the full
knowledge that such a peace would
leave the kaiser as absolute distator
of peace terms. There Is not an in
tellgent and honest individuai IN
Russia, America, or any of the en-
tente countries who does not know
what such a separate peace would
have meant. Haase and Ledebour
are both intelligent and entirely well
informed. They were willing last
summer, and are still willing today.
that the war should be Immediately
settled with complete victory OF
kaiserism.
The time has arrived when Ameri-
cans should pnderstand that at the
present perlof of the war-when no
stunning defeat Of Germany has yet
occurred--therc IS 40 important po-
litical party in the German empire
which has the slightest sympathy
either with the democratic peace
policy and peace terms of President
Wilson or with any other Just o.