The Raymer enterprise., 1918-10-24
Germany. Admittedly Defeated,
Is Now Squifmins to Pre-
vent Utter Disaster.
GREAT CIVIL UPAEAVAl on
Austria and Turkey Ready to Quit
HunA Forced BY Allies. eesln Gen.
erai Retreat From Belgium
stiII Resisting FIeresiy in
Champagne.
ey fpWARp N. PlckARp.

Squirming. dodging. wailing. the
German imperial government seemed
last week to be On its last leg. Thick
and fast came the rurnors Of uncon-
ditionsl surrender and Of the abdica-
tion of the kaiser, and though these
were unconflrmed or contradlcted as
fast as they came out. enough au-
thenfic news seeped through the veil
Of secrecy to show that things were
In q desperate state In Germany. Its
peace trap was sprung harmlessly by
President Wilson when. In reply to
what 'at. first glance looked like full
acceptance Of his terms, he told the
government fatty that only absolute
-cepitulation would be considered and
that the allies would not listen at all
while the Huns occupied allied terri
tory and continued to perpetrate out
RACES on land and sea. Any persons
who may have had doubts concerning
the frmness Of the presidents win and
purpose were joyfully reassured. and
the answer created CONSERVATION In
Berlin. The German press admitted
that Il was a great blow to their rising
hopessof peace. and the ruling minds
Of THO empire began to try to find
some fher way Of escape from the
desl = situation. As preliminary.
some dlInocratixing amendments to
the Constitution were adopted or pro
posed. notably one taking from the
emperor the right to declare war. The
power Of the junkers was sapped. to-
gether with that Of their war lord.
There was, indeed. evidence that Z
civil upheaval Of extraordinary pro-
portions was beginning which, even
more than the great military reverses,
would bring on a debacle for Germany.
-
The governments. the fighting forces
and the civilian peoples Of all the al
lied nations made 1t absolutely plain
that Germany could not obtain the
-'pesce without humiliation" which II
Is seeking. Nowhere among them ID
found any sentiment Of pity for either
the brutal soldiery that has ravished
the earth or the people who have sup
ported and rejoiced over the inhu-
manity Of the armed forces. The de-
mand for exact Justice Is universal
outside the lands Of the offenders. Il
would not be Ii the least surprising II
the prediction made In these columns
mant months ago were fulfilled, name
". that one Of the conditions Of peace
win he that Germany surrender the
kaiser and other lnstigators and per.
petrators Of frightfulness for personal
punishment. With this spirit prevail
ing among the now victorious allies.
what chance has Germany for peace
without humIIiation7
The abdIcation Of the kaiser. which
after all would be but incidental. was
considered likely. and II was reported
thafhe Intended to step down In favor
Of Prince William Frederick. Oldest
son ,pf the crown prince. who Il only
twelve years old.
-
Pksident Wilson delayed his reply
to tte peace proposals Of Austria-Hun-
gary and Turkey. probably in order
that the truth about their hopeless sit.
uation might soak Into their minds,
and reports showed they were realiS
Ing the facts and beginning to act ac-
cordingly. The breakup Of the dual
Kingdom became more imminent. the
Hunsarians openly declaring their 10.
tention to separate from Austria, the
poles Croats and Bohemians boldly COM
ing out for Independence. The govern.
pept made despairing plans to hold
the empire together In the form Of q
confederation Of the various natlonali-
ties, but this did not seem to interest
the peoples who have suffered 20 long