New Britain herald., 1918-10-23
GERMANY PREPARED TO FIGHT FOR DEFENSE OF BOUNDARIES AND WILL
 NOT PERMIT INVASION BY ALLIES
Maxililan Declares People Will Be Rallied to Protest Borders and Are Equal to Tasl1-Will Not Submit to Violent Peace Without Battle-Decision Hinges on Wilson's Answer

Copenhagen, Oct. 23.-Peace con- Versations between Berlin and Wash ington have reached 8 critical point, according to Prince Maxmilian the German imperial chancellor, speaking before the Reichstag yesterday. In the course of his address he urged that debate on the situation arising on the exchange of notes between himself and President Wilson be re- Strlcted as much as possible.
 ''The whole German people is anx- ious to hear the views of the gov ernmenJ regarding the prospects of peace," he said, "but I am able to speak only with the greatest reserve and urge that the members of the Reichstag limit debate, as is consist ent with the seriousness of the hour. The whole German people have spoken to President Wilson and this fact gives the utterances of the rep- resentatives of all parties added force"
 To-day, therefore, l am going to say only this regarding the interna- tiona1 situation:
 The presidents first answer to the peace move of the German goverlt- ment has i'll all countries brought the question of a peace of justice or a peace of violence to the highest point .<..
 He continued; "President Wilson's last note did not make clear to the German people how this public agi- tation will end. His next answer will perhaps, bring definite certainty. Un- til then we must, in all our thoughts and in our actions prepare for both eventualities-first that the enemy governments are anxious for war. in which case there is no choice for us but to put ourselves in a posture of defense with all the strength of our people driven to the last extremity.
 Will Not Submit Without Fight.
 "Should this necessity arise, I have no doubt that the German govern ment, in the name of the German people, will issue a call for national defense in the same way that it spoke for the German people when 1t took action for peace. He who honestly took a stand on the basis of peace also will undertake the duty of not submitting to a peace of violence without @ fight The government which would act otherwise would be left to the mercy of the fighting and working people. It would be swept away by public opinion.
 There also is another possibility. The German people must not be blindly brought to the conference ta- ble. The German people today has the right to ask, if peace is realized on the basis of President Wilson's conditions, what they mean for our future. Our answers to the presi- ident's questions must be framed on the German peoples understanding of that question. What it now wants is clearness.
 "The decision will be of stupendous import. It will not be our strength that will decide, but it will be what is thought to be right in free discus- sion with our opponents that will give the decision. This is a great effort for proud people accustomed to vic tory. The legal questions involved will not stop at our national boundar- ies. which W" will never Of our own accord, open LOT violence.
 "The principles upon which we have agreed as a rule of conduct also involve internal questions. From many quarters it has been represent ed to me that an acceptance of Pres ident Wilson's conditions would mean bmission-anti-Germ submission to an anti German court of justice which would decide legal questions entirely from the viewpoint of its own interests. If that is the case why then is it the extreme apostles of force in the Entente fear the council chamber as the guilty fear the court of justice?
 "The essence of President Wilson's program for a league of nations can not be achieved when all peoples have l not the right of national self-deter- 1 mtnation. This realization Of com ! munity law means the abandonment l of part of the unqualified independ ence which hitherto has been the 1n~ 1 dication Of sovereignty, both by us ] and others. Should we at home main tain as Fundamental the national ego 1 ism which until a short time ago was 1 the dominating force of the peoples s l life, there would be no restitution and no renovation for US. There would 1 be a feeling of bitterness which would cripple us for generations.
 But if we comprehend that the