Evening star., 1917-08-23
RE|CRSTAG MAY GET
VOICE IN AFFAIRS
Government Intends to Seek
Collaboration in Foreign
Policies, Berlin Believes.
PEACE NOTE OPENS WAY

Ry the Assoca ted Press
BERLIN. via London. August 23.-The
liberal press points out as a significant
feature of Tuesdays session OF the
main committee of the reichstag Chan
cellor MichaeliS statement that the
government would not take final action
sulting and advising with the COM
mittee. This is being received as a
pledge that the government henceforth
intends to collaborate with the reichs-
tag factions in dealing with the chief
problems of the nations foreign pol
icy and that 1t would continue to work
in harmony with the committee in the
direction of achieving a peace of re-
conciliation and mutual understanding
The suggestion that a smaller sub
committee of the main committee be
organized for the purpose of acting as
confidential agent between the govern
ment and parliament is meeting with
approval. II also is said to have the
sanction of the chancellor.
Sees Still Greater Headway.
The smaller unit would enter into in
timately confidential relations with the
government for the purpose of suggee-
tion and paving the way to general de-
in the main committees
executive session.
Active champions of parliamentary
reforms are Inclined to look on the
progress thus far recorded as giving
promise of still greater headway in
the desired direction, while the con-
servative advocates of democratized re-
lations between the government and
the reichstag cite the modest advance
as proof of their assertion that par
liamentary reorganization must be
reached by easy stages, and that the
new plant must be given opportunity
to familiarize itself with German po-
litical soil before it can take firm root.
Peace Note May Be Debated.
While the chancellor's informal state
ments and specific reference to the
papal peace note are in keeping with
expectation. IL is not unlikely that the
Vatican's message will prove the basis
of an extended debate on war aims dur
ing the committees present sitting, at
which the issues of parliamentary re-
forms are equally certain to be dis
cussed
The ultra ra-conservative and pan-Ger-
man press continue to view the papaI
note with plain-spoken suspicion and
warn against offering the reichstag
coalition parties an opportunity to in
this connection the Deutsehe Zeitung
says:
I'VE are permitted to behold the three
great international powers. Rome, So
cial democracy and Judaism, working
In complete unison to bring to shame
the German victory for which hundreds
OF thousands have bled and died. The
national liberals are lending effective
aid. 1t would seem that Chancellor
Michaelis does not yet understand how
to manage this reichstag."
Socialist Viewpoint.
Vorwaerts. the socialist organ, says:
we do not yet know how the gov
ernment intends to answer the Popess q
note In all its details, but we do know
that the reply will be in accord with
the wishes of the Austro-German gov
ernment and the German reichstaR ma
Jority- Between these two factors. AZ
far as discernible, there is comnlete
unity. and with that harmony eyerv
German government would have to
reckon. If the majority remains In.
tact, the German answer to the panal
note will prove an effective supnort
to the Pope's peace action and as such
will meet the wishes of the German
people"
One of Tuesdays notable deve,op.
ments was the official announcement
that the national liberal party would
join the coalition group in it's delib-
erations. although reservinx to itself
the right to take an independent atti-
tude on questions of the government's
foreign policy.