The sun., 1918-09-13
GERMANY PUSHES
PEACE OFFENSIVE
Many Bate Offered 20 Obtain
Winter Armistice.

WASHINGTON. Sept 12.--Thc German
peace offensive 10 now recognized by Of
ficials here as being In full swing. A
progressive campaign is clearly indicated
to their minds ~ the apparently casual
remarks. of Prcni.sr Won Hertling a few
days ago. followed by the more formal
statement t. the visiting German news
paper men in Vienna by Count Burian.
the Austrian Foreign Minister. the re-
m$fks Of the German Crown Prince and
nov the speech Of Emperor William him
self to the working people at Essen.
Peace proposals emanating from these
sources would appear incongruous were
the officials not firmly convinced OF the
msincerity of the movement. which again
is recognized as conceived with the
double irpose of placsting the uneasy
and restless German Socialists and at
the same time appealing to the pacleists
in the Entente countries and America in
the hope of weakening the hands of the
allied Governments in the prosecution of
the war.
Analysis OF the abstract of the En-
peror's remarks reported by cable falls
to disclose any new feature.
For some time past American agencies
have been active In Europe in supple
meDting the publicity efforts OF the En-
tente Governments in Germany. 1t Is
known that already the seeds sown
have begun to grow as evidenced by
Hindenburg's passionate appeal to the
German people to be on their guard
against poisoned literature" being In
troduced into Germany.
Another step In the development of
the peace offensive in Germany is noted
In the recent denunciation OF Samuel
Gompers by Carl Rudolph Legion. pres
ident OF the German Federation OF Trade
Unions These organizations are dom
mated by the Pan Germans, who have
taken alarm al Mr.. Gcmpers's successful
work among the British labor unionists
In exposing the dangers OF German
peace "by understanding" and has set
the machinery at work to try to hold
the German Socialists in line.
Official dispatches to-day from France
say that the general campaign and peace
nlaneouvre of which the speech to-day
OF Emperor William Is regarded as a
part is being extended into neutral
countries German press agencies are
supplying special articles and informa-
tlon on the subject TO the newspapers of
German proclivitiies in Holland, the
Scandinavian countries and Switzerland.
According to the same dispatches
some light Ia thrown upon the yelled
utterances or Count Burian few days
ago that there might he opportunities
for "a calm exchange OF views-some
sort OF direct informative discussion
which will be far from being
peace negotiations" by what is re-
garded as an inspired article in the
Dutch press, which the German authori-
ties have taken pains to repXblish in
Germany
This article says that the two En-
perors, at their recen, conference.
decided that the time would he ripe at
the beginning Of winter, when all war
operations would be paralyzed. TO pro-
pose an srmistice instead Of a straight
peace conference and adds that the pro-
posa1 of an armistice in itself might he
an admission that Germany not only
was ready to free Belgium and In
demnify her from an Internal fund, but
TO discuss the evacuation OF northern
France and the restitution OF German
colonies and even TO settle the Alsace-
Lorraine problem In way TO save
-French feelings Finally on condition
of certain indemnlties and concessions
Germany might consent to revise the
Brcst-LItovsk treaty.