Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-24
SURRENDER, ONLY
TERMS PRESIDENT
OFFERS GERMANY
Military Armistice Dictated by
Commanders Only Way to
End War, Berlin is Told
in Peace Reply.
WILL CRUSH AUTOCRACY

This is tho keynote of President
Wilson's reply to the last German
note as announced by Secretary of
State Lansing late last night. II tells
Germany that the power of the King of
Prussia, who is also the German Kaiser,
is still in unimpaired control of the en-
pire, that the nations of the world do not
trust even the word of those who have
been masters of German policy, that the
United States refuses TO deal with any
but veritable representatives OF the Ger
man people, and that if our govern
ment must deal with the military
masters and the monarchical autocrats
of Germany now il must demand not
peace negotiations but surrender"
PEACE nErERREp TO COMMANDERS.
With the idea of surrender and 81
dictated peace strictly In view, the
President has decided TO take up with
the allied governments the question
of an armistice. The terms Of this
armistice are to be dictated by Marshal
Foch. and by Generals Haig, Pctaip,
Pershing and Daz and other military
advisers of the allied governments.
These are the men who are TO submit
the terms of the armistice. and they
are not TO do so unless they consider
an armistice possible from the military
point OF view.
DEALING ON MILITARY BAsia.
Analysis of the note makes IL plain
that the President has brushed aside
the matter of peace negotiations, and
that he is dealing with the German
overturcs on st,lctly military basis.
Such an analysis will show thst his
action in taking UP the question of
an armisticc with the allied govern
ments is strictly with the view of COM
plete surrender by Germany TO peace
terms, and military guarantees and safe
guards to be dictated and imposed by the
allied powers.
II scon became apparent last night
that the more the note was studied and
anslvzed by public men the more they
regarded it as strong and vigorous docu-
ment and that his action would be fully
justified by the rapid progress OF events
NOTE CLOSES DOOR TO KArsEs.
As opinion maturcd il became ap-
parent that the President had dealt
with all the German overtures. from
the first note 10 the latest, IN most
adroit. subtle ana vigorous fashion
and that he had closed The door abso-
lu;ely to negotiations with any Ger
man government that remains under
9ffF ft0ir0t Ol lnt kSlStT aittl MS CifVtS
What the President has done in TAX
ing UP the question OF an armistice with
the Allies and IL must be borne always in
mind that before this action was taken
there were careful exchanges Of views
With the allied governments, has been
to suggest to the allies that the military
advisers In the field be asked To fix the
terms of the only kind OF arnistice they
consider it possible To make from the
military point OF view. The President
lays down specific rules for the guidance
even of these military leaders in The
making of this armistIce, and there is
ground for the statement that before he
laid down these rules the allied govern
ncnts were aware Of their nature, and
had indicated approval Of the line Of
procedure which he adopted.
MEANS ACTUAL SURRENDER.
According to the belief here. the
character Of nrristice suggested by
the President is one which The Ger
man rnilitar.sts will not accept unless
the, are ready for unconditional sur
render. II is believed that no other
interpretation CT construction can he
placed ON tho words Of the President
The kind al an armIstlce upon which
the President insists, II was pointed
OF ny military men. is an armisticc which
would involve nothing less than the giving
OF hostages. the laying down OF arms by
the German forces and the virtual re-
duction of the German army and navy as
military machines,
Confide nee in Marshal Foch and the
allied military commanders IN the field is
such that IT is not dreamed for a moment
that they would recommend any arms
tice If they deemed 1T impossible from
military point of view, and that the only
kind of an armIstice they would sanction
would be one equivalent TO absolute
surrender. 1t is not believed that Presi-
dent Wilson thinks for a moment, either,
that the men who have been entrusted
with the command of the allied armies in
the field would yield any other kind of
an arrnistice under the present conditions
OF allied military superiority.
TO END HUN POWER FOR WAR.
This is the kind of an aYTnistice that
President Wilson suggested 10 the allied
governments after careful exchange of
views with them SINCE the text of the
German note was hrst made public by
wireless
First-One that would leave The United
States and the Allies In position 70
be entered into.
Second-One that would make a re-
newal OF hostiiities on the part Of Ger
many impossible.
Third-One that will fully protect the
interests OF the people involved
Fourth-One that will insure 10 the
governments associated against Ger
many unrestricted power, not only TO
but also to enforce" the
terms Of the kind Of peace to which
the present German government has
Indicated It's agreement.
ADMITS OF NO hIscoEsTRUcTioR.
It is believed that there can be no
possible misconstruction of these
words, and the President is known to
be most careful measurer of the Ian
guage he employs. If this sort OF an
aYmistice is granted, and no other kind
II thought possible of being made with
the % notion Of Marshal Foch and the
other allied military advisers, it will in
volve nothing less than complete sur
render by the German military authori-
ties