Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-17
FRENCH ACCLAIM
WILSON'S REPLY
Germany Impaled on Horns
Of Dilemma, Is Paris
View
MUST YIELD OR REVOLT
SeIf-EHacement Only Thing
Y Kaiser Can Contribute to
Course of Things
Special Cable to Eveninq Public Ledger

SDeCfn Cdble 10 Etening fHOuC hcuSC
Copyrioht. 1918. b. Nctc rori Times CO.
Paris. oct. II.
" President wilson's latest note Is en-
firely satisfactory TO France. In NV
FIRST place IL cuts off al! talk hy tn'
present German Government. no matter
what disguise that Government may Try
70 assume In other words accordlne
70 Frances Interpretation, the oecN'
are now entirely clear for attaining
complete military victory. which is wei
within sight of the Allied troops.
Paris reads 1t that President Wilson
leaves every phase Of the military Situa.
ton entirely to Foch and thai the Ger
man troops will have no opportunity 10
save themselves from the present disas'
ter for hostilities next year
So far as the political effect Of to'
notes on Germany itself is concerned
nobody in Paris pretcnds To say whic1
one of only two things Will happen, put
everybody IL sure that there can De
no third thing, because Wilson has an
solutely cut off IA middle course. The
HohenzoIlern dynasty will be eliminated
and the German people themselves III
revolution, or the people will he "up'd
into standing by the dynasty the little
time still required to annihilate II by
outside forces. The Wilson note, a'
read here, is virtually a bid To the Ger
man people to get rid Of the Kaiser at
once by revolution. What other mean
ing, France asks. can there be-
In effect. the Germany Of the present
regime is IN the category Of govern
ments which Wilson declared at MI
Vernon must be destroyed. Wilson, by
that dictum, has given the Kaiser the
best excuse for abdiCatinE that any ruler
ever had.
Speculation and rumors Of the last
few days about such an abdicat!un were
revived yesterday tenfold in Paris after
publication of the Wilson note. Such
self-effacement Of the Kaiser Is now
considered as an actual probability II
Ia absolutely the only personal Contri-
button the Kaiser can make in reply
to the ultimatum from Washington. Such
an abdication with revolution TO make
the Hohenzollern succession impossible
may now come.
the other hand. Prussianism may
keep control little longer by promises
6 political reform and appeals to save
the empire. with assurances of return
to military effectiveness In the latter
event the German Government no doubt
will tinker itself some more in an effort
to appear democratic. and there may
be another early change Of chancellors
as a preliminary to one more futile
attempt TO get the world to talk peace
with a Government which Wilson again
says is beyond the pale of nations with
which the Allies can and will treat.
For the immediate present it makes
little difference which Of these two
courses is adopted The main thing
Is that fighting goes on without inter
u. lit II .1.. -.
the German people can nut through a
revolution convincing to the rest Of the
world before their troops are defeated
and the disarming and the demobiiza-
jtion are compelled by sheer military sue
cesses of the Allies.
Comment on President Wilson's reply
to Germany was scanty in the morning
papers here. but those Journals which
had time TO deal with the subject left
no doubt as to their deep appreciation
OF the keenness of the American Pres
ident's riposte.
Germans In Trap
The Temps which publishes both in
French and English the note signed by
Lansing. says;
After this second reply from Wilson.
II is doubtfuswhether the leaders of Ger
many are pleased with themselves for
having opened correspondence with the
President BY recog-. .z;ng that Germany
has given unqualified acceptance to the
terms he aid down Wilson has caught
the enemy in his own trap. BY stat
ing formally the general sense of the
stipulations that will be imposed upon
Germany before there can be any uucs-
tion of a suspension of hostlities Wilson
has taken an excellent precaution. for
the German authorities now are placed
in a position with the impossihlity of
pleading that they We're taken by sur
prise. and the opinion of the Allies is
assured in advance.
The people of Germany will read
Wilson's words in reference TO the con-
tinuance Of German atrocities In
France. They will guess what are the
consequences that await them. and They
will know upon whom the responsibility
will fall.
The Government at Berlin which IS
feverishly awaiting wilson's reply. viii
be compelled to announce II In all the
newspapers on the other side of tn,
Rhine. THIS will neither strengthen ~,
position of Max, suffering under his an,
noying letter. nor Won Payer, who mad,
the annexationist speech on September
~, nor Solf, who was one Of the STATE
secretaries when Belgium was invaded
Neither will II strengthen the authorit,
OF the Prussian general staff or the per
sonal prestige Of William II, or the pop
ularity of the dynasty. or even Of tn,
Imperial regime.
''The leaders Of Germany asked 70
public discussion. They have had II
And the first result is that they appea
in the eyes of their own people, VIII
are thirsty for peace, as the principa
obstacle to peace. Their position
certainly risky. Now we await the repl
Of the German people. II as Wilson says
peace is to come by the action of tn
German people themselves II not, IT ca
come only b ythe action of our arms "