Evening star., 1918-10-15
PRESIDENTS POLICY
NOW PLAIN T0U. S.
Wisdom Of Course He Pur..
sued Toward Hun Peace
Move Is Made Apparent.
AuTocRAcY HIS TARGET
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Copyright, 1918. BY n. 7. Evening Post. Inc
President Wilson will Insist that
Alsace-Lorraine be returned to France,
and he has not forgotten, moreover,
that since the announcement OF his
fourteen peace terms on January s
the Czecho-slovaks have been recog-
Aized by the United States and the
allies as a co-belligerent anxious for
Independence. :.
The President meant literally what
he said on January 8. He declared
that "the wrong done to France. by
Prussia in 1871 in the matter of AL
sace- Lorraine. which has unsettled
the peace Of the world for nearly
fifty years, should be righted in order
that peace may be once more made Sc
cure in the interest of ALL
Stolen Goods Must Be Returned.
How else can q wrong be righted
| when property is involved? 1t is
true that life can never be re-
stored. but when goods are stolen a
court usually orders that such a
wrong be righted by restoring the
goods itself. That applies absolutely
to the question of territory so far as
the attitude of the President of the
United States is concerned. 1t also
may be stated that he never believed
his statement of January 8 would be
open to any other Interpretation and
his failure to SO amplify his utter
ance is due to the fact that France.
oh, se, ;rta in q.
toration Of Alsace-Lorraine, never
doubted his sincerity and purpose. 1t
was only in certain quarters on Capi-
tol Hill that Mr.. Wilson's intentions
were questioned, and for the benefit
of American interrogaters 1t now can
be reaffirmed that Mr.. Wilson means
what he says.
Incidentally, speaking of doubts and
misgivings, it Is possible today to de-
scribe in some detail the circumstances
under which the three questions In
Mr.. Wilson's much-discussed inquiry
to Germany of last week dovetailed
| with the message of last night. Mr.
Wilson did not come to his decision
concerning the. elimination of autoc-
racy only yesterday. He came to that
decifNon when the German peace offer
first arrived: In fact, when the note
came from Prince Max the President
and his advisers discussed not merely
the three questions which Mr.. Wilson
| thought it wise to send to Germany
but every conceivable answer and just
| what would be Americas course in
every hypothetical case.
"Nothing Doing With Kaiserism. y
disclose his ultimate intentions to the
American press without at the same
| time revealing them to an enemy who
might twist and dfstort the reply to
defeat the very objects which Mr.
Wilson sought to achieve inside
note arrived offering peace the
instructive desire of the government
here was to say then exactly what
was said In the note made public last
1nfght-"nothing doing with kaiser
iism." But the extraordinary changes
sudden rise OF the socialists to power,
the desperate efforts of the autoc-
i racy to make concessions to the radi-
cal movement to satisfy the clamoI
for peace. the knowledge that the So
! cialists in Germany were growing
bolder every day prompted the Presi-
dent to consider not merely American
lieved would follow him to a just
peace and victory regardless Of the
method by which. he obtained it, but
ways and means of bringing home to
tthe German socialists that the new
! government Of Prince Max, was moth
ing more than a sham. deception for
\ external use and not a bit more DEM
ocratic than the previous cabinets.
What President Sought to Do.
|: The Presiden. hoped by his course
to do two things-to prevent the Ger
man general staff and the kaiserites
from going to the German people and
saying See, we offered Mr. Wilson
| peace on his own fourteen terms, we
| offered to agree to an armistice, and
, he bluntly refuses because he wants
| to destroy you. Will you patiently
submit to destruction or fight till the
| bitter end?'
Also. Mr.. Wilson wanted to prove
to the socialists that he still was
| willing to bring about a just peace
with the liberals and democrats OF
Germany, but not with the autocrats
and junkers who had brought on
| this war.
The President Is Of the firm belief
that If he can shorten the war by
| causing an overthrow of the German