Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-21
Berlin NOTE WILL
NOT REVIVE FARLEY
President and Nation Admit
No Ground for Discussion
Until MiIitarism Ends.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright. 1915, by N. Y. Evening Post. Inc'
Germany's reply has been saht. Up
to noon today 1t hadn't been received
officially, but just as the first peace
message was sent out from the wire
less towers Of Nauen, SO the answer
to President Wilson's ultimatum de-
manding the abdication of autocracy
and kaiserism has been flashed
through the air.
Until the Official text is received.
there will be no official comment.
The Department of State evidently
; knew the contents of the German
message. as it was announced that
the Berlin rejoinder would be ready
| shortly"
Two things are very clear-the note
| isn't entirely and absolutely salts
f, factory or there would have been
much more of a stir in government
circles today: and. furthermore, the
note comes from the present German
government with which the Cn;tea
States has refused to deal until the
conditions set forth in the Presidents
message of last week are fully met
+ Failed to Understand.
! What the Germans failed to under
stand apparently is that Mr.. Wilson
used the word decision" I'm his formal
reply of last week to the German PEACE
proposals. That WAS all the reply and
/ decision that is to be made for the
present. 1t would not he surprising IL
| the American government did no more
than briefly acknowledge the German
message. and thus refused to continue
the correspondence. There have been
intimations to this effect ever since
the last message was sent. Indeed. il
had been suggested by critics Of the
government that the President was en-
/ tering into Il protracted exchange of
notes which could only hurt American
morale and cover up the real designs
! OF Germany after her Withdrawal tro1n
| Belgium. But to this friends Of the
! President have repeatedly made answer
in emphatic language that Mr.. Wilson
had no such purpose in mind. They
said he merely made inquiry in the
first instance to get material for a
/ straightforward reply. That reply has
been made. and it partook of the nature
of definite statement of the demand
of the United States that autocracy ..
| destroyed.
Unless the Germans are ready to
change the fundamental character OF
their government-and there has been
no intimation of such a momentous
occurrence-it is safe assumption
that the parlance over peace will come
to an abrupt and unceremonious end
with the German message of today.
No Compromise Expected.
There is every disposition on the
part of the government authoriti,--
here not to PREJUDICE a documen,
whose contents they have not care
fully examined. and it was pointe
tout today that such thing as errors
in the wireless versions have fire.
Quently occurred in the past. On the
other hand. whatever may be the
terms or the cones ssions. OFF, cal MASH
ington believes the President means
to enter into no compromise wit ia
enemy, anu that he will be satisfied
with nothing short of a complete ;tr-
ceptance of his terms before even
referring the question of armistic.
military advisers.
4 1t is conceivable that the Presidents
reply will be as prompt on this occa-
sion as it has been before. From all
parts of the country has come word
that peace talk, unless promptly re-
vealed in its true proportions, is like
lily to stimulate an instructive desire
to return to preparations for indus
trial and business methods of peace
time. II there Is to be no peace the
danger of a prolonged correspondence
is emphasized.
Every sign indicates that Germany
has not yet made sufficient reform
has not yet been sufficiently chasten-
ed to permit of negotiation with any
constituted authority in Germany So
far as the socialists and radical ell
ments are concerned, unless they an.
ready to abandon allegiance to IN
autocracy that rules them they ;,.r
not likely to get much encourage
ment from Americas formal reply.
The President, it is suggested, now
| ever may go before Congress and
make an important summary of lhr
steps that have been taken and which
seem to him ought to be taken befor,.
there can be peace. This might give
the German radicals ammunition with
which to exhibit the autocracy of Ger
many as the single obstacle to peace.
| 1t is fully recognized here that the
liberals in Germany must be stimu-
lated in order to draw the support OF
the German people away from the
| HohenZollernS and militarists and put
them in a frame of mind which VIII
demand an entirely new government
and one that will enable the allies 10
consider anew the fundamentals of re-
construction in Europe.