The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-15
ABSOLUTE
SURRENDER
Is What Pres. Wilson De-
manded of Ger .
many
GUARANTEES MUST
BE GIVEN ALLIES
Armistice Provisions Would
Be Framed by Mil
itary Board

Washington d. c., Oct. l5.-Uncondi-
tional surrender by Germany was the in
depreciation put on President Wilson's
answer to the German plea for peace by
both American and allied military Off
cials here. Only by absolute surrender,
they said, can the enemy now prevent
the terminating evidence OF his defeat.
There is no doubt among officers that
sooner or later the enemy will be com
PEELED to accept these uncompromising
terms, The German army is being pound
ed to death in the field, they declared,
and the only thing Germany can hope to
save from the wreckage is to prevent the
war being carried across her border And
that can be accomplished only at the
price of putting herself as utterly at the
mercy Of the vietors as did Bulgaria
Military opinion appeared to be in full
agreement that in announcing the policy
that absolute safeguards and guarantees
of the present military supremacy" of
American and allieIforees must control
any armistiee agreement, President Will
son had placed il beyond the power Of
Germany to reap any benefit from an
insincere move toward peace.
The question of the agencies to be EN-
ployed in framing armistice conditions
naturally viii come up only when Ger
many has complied with the presidents
other requirements. II seemed probable
TO officers, however, that the military
board of the council at Versailles would
be the natural agency The council it.
self is composed only of the premiers Of
the allied nations and President Wilson.
The military and al other boards of the
council are advisory only and their rec.
concentrations must be ratified by the
council to become effective
Without question Marshal Foch, the
supreme commander Of the field comman
ders, Generals Petain, Haig, Pershing and
Diaz would be fully consulted and the
resulting definite terms Of surrender in
all probability would be at once ratified
and laid before Germany as the only
price for respite from attack
The general elements Of the terms ap-
pear TO all officers. Il was pointed out
that it was the situation of to-day at the
front that constituted the supremacy Of
which the president speaks, the situation
which must be adequately safeguarded.
As competent military judges see that
situation, the German army is in des-
perate straits, particularly for man-pow-
er. There also is striking evidence of
waning morale
Many officers have feared that by some
diplomatic trickery the enemy would se-
cure enough time to fall back on the
Rhine, shorten his lines, redistribute his
forces, reconstitute his stocks Of guns
and munitions and prepare for a long de-
fensiye battle. President Wilson's reply
has shown the enemy, it was said, that
this program no longer is possible to him.
He must fight it out now or surrender
Should Germany as nation cry KAN
Grad" it must be treated in the military
view substantially as the individual Ger
man soldier who surrenders is treated; !;
ii must be disarmed and guarded.
Disarmament of nation means demo-
bilization. To prevent any possibility of
rehabilitation, military necessity would
require allied occupation Of strategic
points of communication, To insure sup
preston of submarines, occupation Of
submarine bases also would be essential.
Guarding, in this sense, would mean
absolute control of the military ap-
proaches to Germany, Belgium and the
way to the Rhine valley; the great forti-
fled zone of Metz. Thionville erected By
| the Germans as an offensive threat on the
! French border, at the same ting guarding
the way to the Rhine in the south. Al
lied occupation of this fortress, officers
believe, would be certain requirement.