New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-30

was in a plastic and receptive state
It also was suggested that the Presl-
! dent might have wished to anticipate
by his remarkable state paper oo-
structive action by the pacific eie-
ments in and out Of Congress IN the
United States.
Early Reply Not Expected.
No rejoinder from the Vatican Is
expected here soon. Comment from
! the press Of Europe, including Ger
many and Austria, is awaited with IN
| terest Bitter attacks upon the Amer
| can note by the German press and pos
sibly condemnatory speeches by Ger
man officials are fully expected when
the Presidents reply is finally allowed
! 70 leak through the censors TO the
| German public. But for the present, at
/ least, no further attempts at peace
negotiations on the old basis, invo!y-
| ing a continuance in power Of the pres
| ent autocratic German regime, is an
/ ticipateG.
| While the Germans may wage war
with added desperation because OF the
! sweeping indictment Of their methods,
| it is confidently believed here that the
/ spirit Of revolt will develop steadily
and rapidly among the people in Ger
many. bringing nearer the day when
! they will assert themselves to the
point where President Wilson will feel
| safe in listening to peace overtures, in
| the conviction that they are from the
German people themselves and not
| from the ovcrlords and military
/ despots.
/ President Wilson realizes the force
/ Of objection from some quarters to
what might be regarded as DISPOSE
tion on his part to impose form OF
| government on Germany. IL can be
stated that nothing was further from
| his thought than such a disposition.
| He meant just what he said in the
note. that he word of the present
autocratic rulers Of Germany cannot
De taken for anything that is TO Ell.
| dure unless supported by the will Of
| the people themselves. With whether
Germany has an imperial or repub
! lican form of government, il is con-
, coded that the remainder Of the world
has nothing to do.
Watching for Reform Signs
The struggle for Parliamentary re-
form is being watched with the kcenest
interest, and, while it was said at the
State Department to-day that no official
advices are as yet at hand regarding
the developments, it would not cause
surprise if there were sudden and i'm
portant manifestations of the popular
will in Germany. Signs of such an out
come are found in the halfway efforts
of Premier Michaelis to meet the de-
mands of the Reichstag committees by
! his projected Cabinet, representative of
the more powerful political parties in
Germany, certainly long step in the
direction of Parliamentary control of
the government.
The German-Argentine negotiations,
insincere and hollow as they are be-
lieved to be on the part of Germany,
are viewed officially here as another evil
dence of the weakening of Germany's
aggressive policies, and. to that extent,
as perhaps designed to mollify the
/ United States government as well as
neutral maritime nations. and so to
afford fresh basis for peace negotia-
tions.
When the response to Pope Bene-
diets proposals will go forward from
! the Allied governments is unknown to
the State Department, which is yet
without official information that its
own communication has reached the
| Vatican.
Approval of the Presidents note was
expressed generally at the Capitol to-
day by members Of all parties. There
was no discussion Of il on the floor Of
either house, although Senator Stone
touched upon the subject Of peace in
speech denouncing newspapers for
attacking him. He said he never had
intended introducing a peace resolu
ton, as some of his critics had stated.
kilograms from all parts of the
country poured into the White House
to-day approving the Presidents reply
to Pope Benedict.
Upon motion Of Senator Brady, who
characterized Il as last farewell to
the autocracy of the world, President
! Wilson'S reply to the Pope's peace pro-
pcsals was ordered printed to-day in
the Congressional Record
"While it rejects the Pope's pro-
posals," said he, ait points the way
for the other nations to reach peace
In a fair and honorable manner"
at was a very good note" said Sem
ator Lodge, Of Massachusetts,, ranking
Republican of the committee.