Arizona republican., 1917-08-16

i 1916, the emperor sent a message to the commanding generals reading as ! follows:
 Soldiers: In agreement with the i sovereigns Of my allies, and with ] the consciousness of victory, have
 made an offer of peace to the enemy. Whether it vii be ac-
 cepted is still uncertain Until that
 moment arrives you will fight on. return to the presidents note. | The president suggested that early occasion be sought tc call out from all the nations now at war an avowal of their respective views as to the terms Iupon which the war might be con- cluded, and the arrangements which would be deemed satisfactory as a guarantee against it's renewal
 He called the attention of the world to the fact that, according to the state ments of the statesmen of the belliger- ent powers, the objects which all sides 1 had in mind seemed to be the same And the president finally said that he was not proposing peace or even of fering mediation, but merely propos- ing that soundings be taken in order that all nations might know how near the haven of peace knight be for which all mankind longe6
 Shortly after the publication of this note Secretary Lansing gave an inter- view to the representatives of the American press in which he stated that America was very near war. This interview he later explained
 Proposed to Put All Cards Upon the
 Table
 As soon as possible after my return to Berlin I had interviews with Zim- merman and the chancellor Zimmer- man said that we were such personal friends that he was sure that we could continue the work as we had in the past ln frank and open manner, put ting all the cards upon the tab and working together in the interests of peace. l, of course, agreed to this and 1t seemed, on the surface, as if every thing would go smoothly.
 Although the torpedoing of the Mar ma, without warning, while l was in the united States, had resulted in the hceath of q number of Americans on board nevertheless, there seemed to be an inclination on the part of the government and people Of the United States to forget this incident provided Germany would continue to keep her z pledges given in the Sussex note. Dur ing all the period of the war in Ger many I had been on good terms with the members of the government ? namely the chancellor, Von Jagow ,, Zimmerman and the other officials of the foreign office, as well as with Helf- ferlch, Doctor So f. the colonial min lster; kaempf, the president of the Kelchstag, and number of influential men of Germany such as Won Gwinner of the Deutsche Bank; Gutmann. ot the Dresdener Bank; pr. Walter Rath- enau, who for long time was at the head of the department for the supply and conservation of raw materials General von Kessel, over commander of the Mark of Brandenburg-in spite of many tiffs with him over the treat ment of prisoners; Theodor Wolff edi tor of the Tageblatt; Professor Stein Maximilian Harden and many others
 For a long time the fight waged by the chancellor was Americas fight and a fight for peace, so much so that the newspapers which attacked the chan. cellor were the same ones that hat attacked President Wilson. wher America and Americans in genera and very often included me in theil attacks. During every crisis between America and Germany I had acted witt Won Jagow and Zimmerman in a mos confidential way, looking forward al ways to one object, namely, the preser vation of peace between cur respectiv, countries. Many suggestions wer, made which, I think, up to that time materially aided in the preservation of peace.
 The chancellor and the foreign of flee however, through sheer weakness cid nothing to prevent the insults t, our flag and president perpetrated b, the League of Truth, although botl under the law and the regulations o the state of siege this gang could no operate without, the consent of tn authorities.
 Peace or War
 Reverting to my visit to the empero lcn May 1, as drew near the empero he said immediately. Do you come like the great proconsul, bearing peac or war in either hand?' By this h referred of course, to the episode il which Quintus Fabius Buteo, chief o the Roman envoys sent to Hanniba lin the first Punic War, doubled hi