New-York tribune., 1918-05-05
Germany Still
Wrestles With
Wilson
WILSON'S Baltimore
speech receives attention in some
of the latest German newspapers

OF the latest GcTiIldu ucWS SpdpcAS
to arrive in New York. Detailed
discussion, however, is at hand only in
the "Ffankfurter Zeitung," "Vorwarts"
and the Berlin "Neueste Nachrichten
The Frankfort paper confesses to be-
ing somewhat puzzled at the Presidents
delay of nearly six weeks in replying to
Count Hertling's speech of February 25,
in which he accepted the Presidents
four principles. Hertling conditioned his
acceptance upon the agreement to those
principles also by the Entente nations;
and the "Frankfurter Zeitung" hazards
the guess that the President, before max
ing a reply to Hertling, undertook nego-
tiations with England, France and Italy
in order to induce them to revise their
war aims. The editor thinks that he saw
evidences in many utterances of the
American press that this was done; but
nothing came of these supposed negotia-
tions. The paper is also puzzled by the
fact that the President made no allusion
to the Certainly very conciliatory
speech of Count Czernin, which had
just been delivered.
But the President, the paper feels,
was no longer trying to bring about
peace possibilities, but to give reasons
for continuing the war. Then, after re-
ferring to the Presidents proclamation
of force, the "Frankfurter Zeitung"
writes:
"The policy of the responsible statesmen
of the Central Powers gives Mr.. Wilson no
ground for this proclamation of force
Hence, he repeats the tactics, previously ap-
piled by him, of drawing an arbitrary pict-
ure of his enemies. Formerly he sought to
make distinction between the German peo-
pie and the German governments now he
tries to justify his rejection of the peaceful
overtures of our statesmen by alleging that
German policy is not determined by them,
but by our military leaders; and that the
military men who control our policy do not
take justice and conciiation as the stand
ard of their action, but only brutal force.
"Are we in Germany still to waste time in
rejecting in detail such interference in our
internal affairs? 1t goes without saying
that the German people most decidedly re-
pei such methods. But when the President
seeks to defend his position by alleging the
peace settlements in the East he must be
strove for peace by understanding with
Russia, and that it was the Russian govern
ment that defeated our efforts through its
unwillingness to reach understanding;
it was Trotzky himself who openly pro-
claimed might as the basis of politics.
"But, in the second place, it is calumny
to reproach the Central Powers with having
forcibly made peace that is to insure them
dominion over all Eastern Europe, and even
Ill A-s,
saying this, of the border lands of Russia
on her western frontier, he must know that
the last word in regard to their future has
by no means been spoken yet, and that Ger
many has not only expressly recognized
their right of self determination, but
wrested it by force of arms, precisely from
Russia.
Nevertheless, the President speaks ex-
pressly of what is going on in Russia, in
the Ukraine, in Finland and probably
means to assert that our efforts toward
helping to restore order in the East are d-
/rected, as matter of fact, toward estab-
fishing our dominion over those lands. But
that is an altogether groundless accusation.
Germany has every interest in the real in
dependence of its neghbors in the East, and
has clearly enough shown it's honest deter
mination to help them in establishing and
securing their independence. Mr. Wilson,
however, is SO incautious as to include Per-
sia and India among the countries which we
ostensibly are trying to bring under Ger
man domination. Does he not remember
that it is his English friends who are hold
ing India in subsection, and who have for
years done violence to Persia's inde-
pendence?"
THE Socialist "Vorwarts" had this
u to say:
"The tone of the Presidents speech
leaves no doubt at all as to where we stand
Either we shall succeed through military
means in bringing the war in the West to
an end within reasonable tme or else the
future lies dark before us. There
can, therefore, be no serious division of
opinions among the German people as to
what must now be aimed at. Behind oul
allied enemies in the West stands America.
with its enormous material resources and
with moral power that nightly fires their
courage. But for America they would prob
ably have already broken down under the in
fiuence of the Russian debace. Hope in
their great ally across the Atlantic keeps
them upon their feet and fires them to fresh
resistance. How long that resistance will
last will depend upon events that are now
In progress. There is now no other solu-
tion of the world tangle to be seen than the
hoped for complete German victory in the
West"
In the "Vossische Zeitung" George Ber-
nard said that the speech struck the
reader through it's greater harshness of
tone than was seen in previous utter
ances from the President. He continues:
"His declaration that he continues to be
ready to make peace drops far into the
background, as compared with the appeal to
arms. His harshness is motivatcd by an
allusion to the peace of Brest-Litovsk. Will
son characterizcs this peace as provoca-
tory challenge of Germany to his speech of
February IL, in which his four fundamental
conditions were laid down."
The Berlin "Neueste Nachrichten"
said this: