Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-29
Declares That Vatican's Basis
Of Peace Would Lead to
No Certain Goal
PRESENT GERMAN RULERS
ARE NOT TO Be TRUSTED
Presidents Rejection Looked
Upon as High Water Mark
Of World War

WASHINGTON, D. c., August 20
President Wilson has rejected the
pOpe's peace proposals. In a note des
patched last night, the president says
that while every heart not blinded and
hardened by the terrible war must
be touched by the moving appeal of
His Holiness, it would be folly to take
the path of peace he points out, if it
does not in fact lead to the goal he
proposes.
To deal with such a power as the
present rulers of Germany upon Pope
Benedict's plan declares the presi-
dent, would involve a recuperation of
the strength and renewal of teh world
domination policy of that power, now
balked, but not defeated after sweep
ing a continent with the blood of in
nocent women and children and the
helpless poor, as we'll as of sold
iers.
on the faith of all the peoples and
upon justice and fairness, and the
common rights of mankind and we
cannot take the word of the present
ruler of Germany as a guarantee of
anything that is to endure, unless ex-
picitly supported by such conclusive
evidence of the will and purpose of
the Germans themselves as the other
peoples of the world would be justi
fed in accepting"
President Wilson's rejection of the
pope's peace proposals is regarded
here as the high-water mark of the
war. Furthermore it is indicative of
the virtual selection Of the president
by the Allies as their spokesman be-
fore the world
The note comes as a climax to the
remarkable series Of state documents
in which President Wilson has argued
the cause of world democracy against
autocracy in the high court of public
opinion, and accepted more and more
bv the people of all the allied count
tries as expressing their ideals.
There appears to be no doubt that
the United States was selected to make
answer before the world, in a service
o. all the others. Whether the En-
tente nations will send extensive re-
plies is not known here 1t is regard
ed as probable that they will in large
measure adopt the presidents reason
ing for their own and send notes OF
endorsement
The general tenor of the presidents
replv had been anticipated every
where, but there was no inkling of the
forceful terms he would employ to say
1 taat the world can have no faith in the
autccratic government of Germany.
Students of diplomacy see in his de-
nunciation of the military autocracy a
fresh appeal to the war-ridden German
ueople to throw off their military mas
ters and join democracy with gov
ernment fit to deal with the remainder
cf the whole world.
Although the appeal probably Will
not be permitted to become known in
Germany until the autocracy has at
tempted to mould the temper OF he
people for its reception by denuncia-
ton through a goyernment-controlled
nress of what has been characterized
MS interference in the internal aHalrS
Of Germany, the hope is it will fall on
FERTILE soil,
Considering the extraordinary char
.cter of the presidents communica-
lion its immense importance definite
lv terminating for the present, at
least. all efforts to reach a compro-
mise peace, the time consumed IN the
nrenaration Of the reply was remarka-
bly, short
That the presidents response would