New-York tribune., 1918-10-08
The German Delusion


When the new German Chancellor
says that Germany accepts the pro-
gramme set forth by President Wilson
of the United States in several speeches
and pronouncements, Especially his
speech Of September 27, as basis for
peace negotiations" we turn naturally
to Mr.. Wilson's deliverance on that date
to see what there was in it for Germany
to embrace. 1t was the Metropolitan
Opera House speech, on the eve Of the
launching of the fourth Liberty Loan.
We have read it again, very carefully.
Prince Maximilian of Baden is wrong
There is nothing in it for Germany. But
there are sentences in it which the Ger
man mind, by reason of its Germanness,
is incapable of understanding.
The President said:
1--WE are all agreed that there can be
no peace obtained by any kind of bargain
or compromise with the governments Of
the Central Empires. The Ger
man people must by this time be fully
aware that we cannot accept the word Of
those who forced the war upon u.s.
If the German Chancellor thinks we
mean by this that in the Imperial For
eign Office new princes must be ex-
changed for old ones and that the Kaiser
shall grant his Prussian subjects some
suffrage reforms, he is too naive to hold
his job. We mean that the Hohenzollern
and Hapsburg dynasties are to be de-
stroyed.
The President, in proposing league
Of nations to be formed at the peace
table, said:
". there will be parties to the
peace whose promises have proved
trustworthy, and means must be found in
connection with the peace settlement it.
self to remove that source Of nsecurity.'
If the new German Chancellor thinks
we mean by this that Germany shall be
admitted to peace discussions at all, he is
deeply mistaken. We mean that when
the Allies and ourselves, in victor's
conference, shall have agreed upon the
conditions to which Germany must sub
nit, Germanys faithless pledge of SUBJ
mission will not suffice. Measures will
be taken to make it impossible for her
l. hor
/ The President said:
First, the impartial justice meted out
must involve no discrimination between
those to whom wish to be just and
those to whom we do not wish to be Just
If Prince MaXimilan thinks we mean
to bring pair of scales and balance
Germany's claims and economic desires
against the interests of other people
and decree measured division Of the
earth's resources between Teuton and
non-Teuton, he is swindling his Kaiser.
We mean nothing Of the kind. When we
hang murderer we call it justice We
do not hang his wife and children; we do
not visit revenge upon all his posterity
To do that would be unjust.
The President said this was not a
statesmen's war but peoples war, and
thought it significant that people
"still seem to fear that they are getting
what they ask for a definition of war
aiIasl, only in statesmen's terms--only in
terms of territorial arrangements and
divisions of power, and not in terms of
broad-minded terms of justice and mercy
and peace"
That, Prince Maximilian of Baden,
means something that cannot concern
you at all. If you think we mean to he
merciful with Germans, we refer YOU to
any definition you like of justice. One
has nothing to do with the Other. Jus
tice we can impose. For mercy, God
help you! Had you any for Belgium
or Serbia? Do you remember the Lus-
tania and still humble Of mercy?
Enough Of words Rhetoric and force
do not associate.
The Presidents speeches are histor-