The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-09
NATIONS EDITORS
APPROVE ANSWER
All Agree President Has Put
Teuton Nations in Great
Diplomatic Dilemma,
WILL EXPOSE TRrCKERY
Leaves Berlin No Chance to
Say We Refused to Accept
Peace Offer.

BeioV wiIi be found the editorial COM
msnt made n this s,orn!.s's Issues Of
sonss Of the chief papers Of tae country
on President WILSON'S reply to the Ger
man Chancellor:
Chicago Trfbuue-The President has
met the adroit approach of the Ger
man Chancellor with mastery skill.
Maximilian's request was ambiguous
and we believe It was intended TO be
ambiguous. II II was sincere the Presi-
dent has now given him the oppor-
tunity to prove his sincerity by making
sincere the President has prevented
Macmillan from turning to the Ger
man people and saying:
"Berlin's Concession Is Nothing"
Springfield uhiican--If the impress
sion was entertained by the German
Government that President Wilson be-
ing an idealist, would be found easy"
the mistake win be dispelled by the ex-
tremely pointed questions which Mr..
Lansing puts Both Germany and Aus
tria accepted President Wilson's prin-
ctples "as basis for negotiation"
As a concession that amounts to moth
ing At all. The Central Powers would
with equal willingness have accepted the
Ten Commandments or the Sermon on
! the Mount as a basis for German diplo-
! macy to work up. II deception was in
tended. II was too shallow to deceive a
child: II the Central Powers mean hon
| estly to accept the terms laid down by
the President he gives them chance to
| say SO publicly in unmistakable Ian
guage,
Baltimore Sun President Wilson's
answer to the German Chancellor Is
perhaps the mildest hammered document
that ever Expressed an imp.acable de-
| termination. II consists. practically of
three simply phrased questions. In
order TO answer your proposals intelli-
gently. the President says in effect, We
must know Just what you mean. Do
you accept the terms laid down in my
| fourteen propositions or do, you merely
wish to make them the basic OF negoiia-
ton? Are you ready. as u guarantee OF
good faith. to withdraw your troops
from all invaded territories? Do you
speak for the criminals who provoked
and have carried on this war or do you
speak for a repentant German people7
Probably no one else in the country
would have answered the Chancellor in
| the manner adopted by the President
The general feeling. IL tho press and
! other comment on the matter Is TO be
taken as an indication. was that the
right answer would be simply hot de-
mand for unconditional surrender. But
now that the thing has been done every
one. we believe. will recognize 1t as the
logical, straightforward thing to do.
l. Puts Kaiser in Terrible Hole.
Boston Post-President Wilson's re-
| Spouse to the request OF the Contra
Powers that he take In hand the res
torat.on OF peace" and invite the bellig
| erent States ito send plen,potentiariei
for the purpose OF opening negotiations
Is a refusal to do anything OF the sor
under present conditions. as Il was bount
to be.
The Kaiser may squirm. but lie &
now impaled on diplomatic hook. from
which there is no conceivable escap
except utter surrender or 'nghting {,
the last ditch" with the eliminating pen
alties which that involves.
Expected a Stronger Answer.
! Philadelphia Public Ledger--To deny
that the American people will be deeply
disappointed at the Presidents first steI
in response to tho note OF the new I'm
perial German Chancellor would be /,
deny a phenomenon OF nature TIL
country may be III Informed. but II Il
firm. adamant against parley at thi
time with the intoleraole thing" II wa
ready for a more reasoned reply thar
the President returned SO promptly an,
properly to the impertinent Austrian
approaches. But II was not ready for
II will be abashed and puzzled by--wna
II is most difficult to distinguish from
the opening OF Conversations" witt
the kaiser's Chancellor.
Indianapolis star II goes withou
saying that the reply is not what W,
have all expected and hoped for.
Most of us would wish to see the sin
J certify OF Germany frankly indicted an,
simplicity and severity IL is the par
OF wisdom, however. to conclude that tn
President IL right. knowing more than w
can know.
Philad eIphia Inquirer--If the natioi
expected that the President would return
as the answer to Germany's peace pro
posals two words-''uncondition sur
render"--it will be disappointed Ap
parently the time to proclaim that ulti
matum in the opinion Of the Presiden
has not yet come. But II Germany sub
mits to the requirements OF the Prest
dent before he will advise our allies 4
halt the armies in their smashing blow
Germany will have virtual.
surrendered just the same.
st. Louis Globe Demoerat--In this In
terrogative way the President places tn
responsibility OF action upon the Contra
Powers They cannot pretend that thei
proposal has been fouted or that it ma
been denied consideration. The gres
question of peace which they so muci
desire ia placed before them for thei
own solution. They must approve tn
Prevident's interrogative or go on fight
ing.
ST. Louis Republic-President Wf
sons reply to the German peace note
though cloaked in the language OF a pc
lite inquiry, IL nothing less than de
mand on the Hun for unconditional sur
render, and there's no doubt that Berli
and the rest OF the world will read
that way. Surrender without conditions
Those are the terms of America and he
allies,
Salt Lake City (Utah) Tribune-Ger
many can obtain peace by accepting tn
terms laid down by President Wilson 4
his address OF last January and subse
quent addresses and by withdrawn
her forces from occupied territory Blu
: Il must be the people OF Germany an
not the Kaiser and his military adviser
, who accept the terms and make tn
necessary promises.