The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-09-25
TO OFFER BELGIUM
FOR LOST COLONIES
And ALLIED PLEDGE
MichaeIiS to Make Proposal In
Speech Thursday, According 10
Munich Journal-Ground Fully
Prepared-AIIies Must Cut Their
Demands.

! Copenhagen. Sept. 23.-Dr. Mi
chaelis, the German Imperial Chan-
cellor. will discuss the Belgian queS-
| ton and German peace conditions IN
/ a speech Thursday, according to the
, Neuste Nachrichten of Munich.
The Chancellor will declare, the
newspaper says, that Germany IS
ready to re-establish Belgian indie
pendence if the Entente Powers
agree to restore the German colonies
and to give up their policy OF terri
torial and economic conquest.
The correspondent at Vienna OF
the Berliner Tageblatt says:
The replies of Turkey and Bull
garia will be forwarded to the Pope
today. Turkey demands that her
territory shall not be violated. Bul-
garia demands that her frontiers
shall be regulated in accordance
with the principles of nationality.
Belgium as German Pawn.
The Hague, Sept. 23.-rOne feature
of the German press comment on the
kaisers reply to the Pope's peace
proposal stands out prominently,
namely. the unanimity with which
the German papers draw 4 comparl-
son between Germany'S cOnclliatory
tone and President Wilson's reply TO
the Pope Thus, the LokalanZeiger
declares that Germany'S reply Will
encourage the Pope to take further
steps. where as President Wilson's
reply made further efforts appear
hopeless. 'ihe same note is struck
by all the anneXationist papers, es-
Decially those like the Cologne N0lk-
szeitung, which. in other articles,v ,viO-
lently attack the United States.
Thus one object Of Germany's note
is clear, namely, to encourage AmerI-
can pacifists. especially the Hearst
group. III their belief that America
alone, anyhow chiefly the American
Government, stands in the way OF
peace \ second object also appears
clearly. namely. to endeavor to per
suHde the French pacitisTs that Eng
and must be forced tC diSgorge what
are termed ill-gotten gains as the
German colonies and MesopOtamia
in order that France may recover the
districts now occupied by the Ger
mans and Belgiums be restored
There is nowhere the faintest sug-
gestion that Belgium will be restored
as an unconditional preliminary to
mans are perfectly well aware that
this is indispensable. They have
made the most elaborate attempts 10
obtain information on this point in
Holland for the last two months, and
the New York Times correspondent
has very good reason to believe that
their neutral informants have left
them no reasonable doubt regarding
inin hiS Of hn
whole civilized world.
Germany's actual proposals regard
ing Belgium as made known to the
Papaf =Stncfo az Munich by + 0Teiign
Secretary Won Kuhlmann are no.
where detailed, although probably
they are contained in various semi
official communications. One fea-
ture of these requirements is empha-
sized by the Cologne Nolkszeitung.
namely, that on the conclusion of
hoStilities Belgium shall not be re-
stored by American capital. The pa
per argues at length that the un-
compromising attitude recently adop-
ted by the Belgian eX-Minister Derb-
roQueville is mainly due to the Ger
tainty that American capital will be
put into Belgium after the war The
paper says such a condition of af-
fairs would be intolerable, as Ameri-
ca, England, and France would con-
troll trade and industry.
Significantly, a similar point is
made by the radical George Gothein.
one of the three compilers of the
Reichstag peace resolution. He de
clared that German trade via Ant
werp must be facilitated Immediate
ly on the conclusion of fighting, ,and
says cheap rates must be guaranteed
for German goods via that route.
The German idea of the restoration
of Belgium thus involves the pre-
vention either of economic or politi-
cal reapproachment with Germany's
present enemies and in particular
the prevention of Belgium obtaining
capital for her restoration where it
would probably be obtainable most
readily and with the least selfish mo-
tive.