Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-19
NO ONE YET KNOWS
HIS VIEWS ON PEACE
Direct Statement as to Attitude
on Annexations and In
IDENTITIES Demanded.
ANSWER WILL BE MoMENTous
Vote on $4,000, 900, ,OOO-Nfark Credit
Bill One Strong Weapon That
May BE Used.

AMSTERDAM July ia truculent
masterful Reichstag will face DR..
Georg Michaelis. the new imperial
Chancellor tomorrow afternoon
He summoned the session to-day for
communication from the govern
ment."
What that Communication will be no
one among the German political lead
ers knows. Few care. They have a
communication OF their own to make
with an uitimatum appended to It,
The Chancellor's reply to that ultima.
tum Will be the real news. the biggest
communication" OF the day. There
will be no escape from answering. no
chance for evasion.
In Its sum and substance this Is the
question::
Are you for or against peace with
out annexations and indemnities?
And the challenge will be virtually:
Answer. Yes or No"
Upon the answer will depend the out
come of the whole political upheaval
within the Teuton empire.
incidentally, 1t will signify whether
DR.. Georg Michaelis the frst "vonless"
Chancellor, will have chance to steer
the German ship Of state. manned by
loyal crew solidly behind him. out
OF the vortex of war into the port OF
peace-or whether mutiny will drive
him back into the obscurity of his
financial under-secrctaryship.b before he
has even taken hold of the wheel
WILL PUSH HIM ASIDE
If HE DARES TO DEFY
For this is the defiant message be-
tween the lines of every scrap of news
from the Teuton capital: Tho party
bloc In the Reichstag .ha. was power
full enough to topple a Bethmann-H -Holl-
veg. steersman for eight years. backed
By every conceivable confidence and
support. including that of the Kaiser,
who dismissed him with heavy
heart"-that this same bloc will brush
a DR.. Georg Michaelis aside like a
puppet Of tin II he dares defy It.
THE days of dictatorial Chanccllors
are over every dispatch from Berlin
tells those who know conditions there:
the Reichstag has the whip hand. and
proposes to use it and keep it,"
There were fantastic reports to-day
OF dictator" General Ludendorfr.
Hindenburg's right hand. was pictured
as the coming bogyman, and the whole
empire as doing his bidding lest he
apply the iron rod. But much as the
idea appealed to the imagination, cool
observers who have closely watched
the last two weeks happenings in Ber-
lin could not help but laugh over the
hallucination.
There Is but one dictator in that
capital to-day. and that one has only
begun TO dictate, and it's strength is
growing with every hour-the bloc
formed in the Reichstag by the Center.
the Peoples party and the Socialists.
augmented constantly by newcomers
from the other parties.
DR.. Michaelis was mentioned In the
speculatory dispatches as the stop
gap. But the gap that the political
bloc slashed into the system" is too
wide and yawning to be stopped by
a Michaelis or Ludendortr. The gan"
has been automatically stopped" by
virtually swallowed the system. Upon
its ruins. towels the now aIl-powerful
ReichstaE majority
BELIEVED IN ACCORD
WITH PEACE RESOLUTION
One hammer In the hands OF this
majority in to-morrow's momentous
session will be the vote on the 5,ooo.-
000.00omark credit bill-$3,7 SO, 600 900
But. it is believed the threat Of with
holding this vote will not be needed.
Evidence accumulated throughout the
day that the new Chancellor Is fully
In accord with the peace resolution,
the introduction OF which will form
the big event of the session. 1t is a
resolution which only an out -and-ou
annexationist could refuse to indorse
For while it declares against annex
ations and indemnities it is equally
emphatic In the assertion that as long
as Germany's enemies refuse to sub
scribe to this formula. the empire
stands as a solid wall against all
comers.
That the Conservatives. through the
medium Of one of their leaders in the
Reichstag. or one OF their comrades
among the big army chiefs, will at
tempt some coup to stave off, II not
prevent, flat-footed governmental
subscription to the bloc's peace for
mula. Is by no means held improb-
able. However, tho bloc is known to
be so strong that any such attempt is
expected to be ingloriously defeated.
When Bethmann- Hollweg declined to
accept the, formula. the bloc leaders
went on strike. They refused to
meet for the plenary session. If DR..
Michaelis declines. they are expected
70 strike by refusing to adjourn un-
TIL they have won. An endless and
probably extremely bitter debate would
ensue in that case.
There were no developments with
regard to ministerial vacancies to-day.
DR.. Michaelis Is expected to announce
new appointments Tomorrow. DR..
Zimmerman. the retiring Foreign Min
istsr was mentioned to-day for the
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