The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-14

said here was that they might has
tily conslre, Germany's proposition
rs the unconditional sure lee which
he co. oelligs. ents demaai and relax
their efforts 1, continue lii, victories
at arms and carry but the fourth Lib
erty loan. On every side in official
quarters it was stated that this view
of the situation could not be placed
before the public too strongly.
Conceding that possibly the pro-
posal for an armistice might be ac-
cepted and that the German accept
ance of President Wilson's peace
terms might be satisfactory, the
question, in the opinion of officials
and diplomats here, would center in.
who is the present German govern
ment?"
If the present German government
is the government of Hohenzollern
there seems no doubt here that the
German reply will be unacceptable.
Without any attempt to discount
what appeared to be, at a casual
reading, an acceptance of the terms
the president has laid down, officials
here were very positive as to not ac-
cepting the German note as a docu-
ment which means the end of the
war. 1t needs to be examined and
fully considered before the views of
the American government can be
stated.
Allies Must Be Consulted.
Should President Wilson finally
decide that there is enough sincerity
in Germany's proposition to transmit
it to the Allies, as the German chan
cellor requested, it should be borne
in mind that Great Britain, France
and the other entente nations must
be taken into consideration for de-
cision as to whether an armistice
should be granted or whether discus
sions should be undertaken to carry
out the details of the application of
President Wilson's peace terms.
In this inquiry the president de-
clared he would not propose an arm
istice while troops Of the central
powers remained on invaded soil; he
asked whether Prince Macmillan ac-
cepted the terms of peace as laid
down or merely wanted 20 discuss
them "as a basis for negotiations,
md finally he asked whether the
'hfncellor merely represented he
militarists who have been conducting
the war.
These inquiries the German gov
eminent seems to answer in a man
door to peace. The evacuation of in
vaded territory pending declaration
of an armistice, the answer accepts;
it says the terms of peace are accept
ed and makes no further mention of
a basis for negotiation" and de-
clared the chancellor was speaking
for the German government as re-
Gently reconstructed and the German
people as well.
DO They Represent People?
The N point which appeared to
loom UP in the text of the unofficial
copy is whether Chancellor Maximil-
ian and Foreign Secretary Solf can
really represent the German people
as the reply declares they do. Pres
ident Wilson's estimate, and the es-
innate of the statesmen of the co
belligerents on the safety of dealing
with the heads of the German gov
eminent have often been repeated.
They have been denounced as un-
worthy of trust and not to be expect
ed to keep promises. Whether Pres
ident Wilson and the entente Allies
regard the government now headed
by Macmillan and which has Solf for
its secretary of state for foreign af-
fairs, one which can speak under any
circumstances for the German people
and bind them to the peace terms
which the Allies will impose, remains
to be seen. There was no. official ex-
preston on that point in Washington
in President Wilson's absence. Prob
ably no n in the United States but
he can give the answer.
Where Is the Kaiser?
Reading through the phrases oil
the unofficial text everyone here i'm
mediately was struck with the ques-
ton of what must have happened in
Germany recently to make such an
answer possible.
One of the closing phrases which
declares that the present German
government has been formed by con.
ferences in agreement of the great
majority of the reichstag and that
the chancellor speaks in the name
of the German government and OF
the German people" was regarded as
being susceptible to almost unlimited
speculation. What has become oil
the kaiser? was the question asked
on every hand as that phrase was
read. The world knows very little