Republican farmer., 1918-10-18
GERMAN PAPERS
 APPROVE REPLY
 TO PRES. WILSON
Say That Answer Was What Could Have Been
 Expected.

The Hague, Oct. 16-The Berlin morning papers comment at length on the German answer to President Will son. A majority of the papers na- turally support the government and approve the note. The conservatives and part of the National Liberals, however, consider the note as Ger many's complete surrender.
 Vorwarts says that the answer was what could have been expected. The paper asserts that it's more than proo- able that further military decisions will not come into consideration once the people have assembled around the conference table, and that a confer ence which assemblies to make war is impossible forever between civiliz- ed peoples. Vorwarts alleges that the answer signed by Dr. Solf is an an- swer from the German people, and. that under Solf's signature millions of signatures of men and women could be added who want to end the war.
 The Tageblatt calls attention to the fact that the answer was approved by all the State Secretaries, by the high command, and the Federal Council, and also by a large majority of the Reichstag. Never before, it says, was a policy in Germany carried out with such cooperation.
 George Bernhard, in the Vossische Zeitung, remarks that many factors are responsible for the answer, and that it is the logical consequence of the first step which must have been fOraSaan hIr 1-aSnnnSihln
 He hopes that the government will | now show what had been lacking since the commencement of the war "a strong policy-and says that with an international league of States, even enemy States will have the same in terest as Germany herself, if possible in thte building up of the German 1 Empire, otherwise the Wilson assur- 1 ances for a lasting peace would have no meaning. Bernhard concludes that it is the duty of the German people at present to stop and look closely in to the prospects which open up witt Wilson's ideas of peace negotiations as the people now stand at the turn ing point of their fate.
 The form of agreement for attain ing an armistice, Bernhard continues is one to fill all Germans with deer sorrow. It is now, however, the dut! of every one, he says, not to give wa! l to this sorrow but to gather strengtl from it in order to prepare for tht | restoration of everything which tn
 war has destroyed, and all must worl together in building up. The Ger
 man people must see that their fat ! ie i,, hot Jxrirh
 coming negotiations a number o
 problems will be discussed which ar
 very painful for German patriots wh
 have not considered them as problem
 until recently but as facts.
 "Without doubt the Alsace-Lorrain
 question has been made an interna
 tionaI question by negotiations O.
 Wilson's points," Bernhard proceeds
 Tt has now passed the viewpoint o
 autonomy to which Prince Max hel
 in his last Reichstag speech, to sa
 nothing of Kuhlmann's never ]
 cannot be denied that by uncondition
 al recognition of Wilson's points, in
 ternational discussion on preciou parts of the Prussian Monarchy mus
 be admitted, although not necessaril
 definitely settled. But even the idle
 that these question become interna tional is painful to a degree" The Lokal-Anzeiger says no Ger man can read the answer to Wilso
 without being shaken to the depth , of his soul. Germany decelare3 he1 self ready for peace after four year l of suffering. She will have to suff1 7 long, however, tie conference turr ? out, but the most painful thing ( all is that imperial territory is to | 5 internationally discussed. The pape says that responsibility for the not 3 and it's consequences fall on rEan , shoulders, but firstly on the new gov
 ernment and that the wish to CT = the war before all Europe Is destroy . ed contributed to the Gc~i-e for pea l "One advantage" says tha Loka |. Anzeiger, ''is that the note i5 pel y fectly clear and cannot be misunde1 . stood. Wilson can no longer refus = the offer of Oct. and we are COT e vinced that he will now communion d with his allies and ask them to COT e clude an aTmistice and to send repr f sentatives for peace negotia tions. IT !. great question is what will Londo
 Paris and Rome answer
 The paper adds that the eighth ar
 thirteenth Wilson points are the mo
 important of all, and that it is no
 evident that the questions of Alsac
 Lorraine and Poland will have to l
 settled by the application of Wilson
 principles.
 ''The most important part at pre- ent," it adds. 'fs evacuation. We we prepared for conciliatory attitud V but not for unconditional evacuatio { We believed that assurances wou
 be demanded that the entente troo
 would not enter Belgium after u 'e evacuation and that Belgium wou - remain neutral if the peace negoti IS tions should collapse. We must ho1 y that these conditions, which appe l. necessary for the protection of u d Fatherland, will be demanded in u e- mixed commission, which is sugges le ed in the note to Wilson"
 S. The paper pretends that this is r. avoid the possibility of poor Balgiu
 being fought over for a second time q! q! RRITI0H oTE