The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-10-17
PEACE RUMORS
N0NEFFECTIVE
War Machinery at Nations
Capital Kept Going at
Full Speed.
REICHSTAG WILL MEET
Request for an Armistice May
Be Forthcoming From Ger
many Army Command.
REICHSTAG WILL MEET
(By John Edwin Nevin.) }

(By John Edwin Nevln.)
| Washington, Oct. III. N. So
stop speculating about peace :
mors. The American people will ha
all of the truth as fast as anything
real happens. There is nothing so far
but rumors that the wars end is at
hand. And the rumors do not come
from authentic sources"
That was the official view Of the
general war situation today. The al
lied armies on the western front are
on the badly shattered German mill
tary machine. Ofiicialdom here was
working tooth and nail to put the lib
erty loan across.
Germany may capitulate soon-ofi-
cials believe that the final break Is
reasonably near-but until she does
break there will be nothing doing here
in Washington except to keep the war
machinery well oiled and running at
top speed.
German Morale Gone.
At the White House and state de-
partment 1t was explained that there
was nothing new from German
sources. The general situation within
Germany Is very bad. The German
people have seemingly lost all conf
dence in the military leaders. The long
strain under which they have labored
for four years has at last resulted in
a complete breakdown of the German
morale.
Everywhere throughout the empire
dangerous disturbances have taken
place. The present control is seriously
menaced. But how far the swing
against the war party will go no one
here in Washington is as yet ready to
guess.
That Germany must surrender un-
conditionally before long is the belief
of ofiicialdom. Her supplies are almost
gone. Her army is in very precari-
Gus situation. Her allies are ready to
desert her. And officials here believe
that the banking ana merchant class
in Germany will take steps to throw
the nation on the mercy of the allies,
but especially on the mercy of the
United States, in the belief that for
general political reasons the peace pro-
gram will be framed to keep the Ger
man empire intact.
So far as the Amsterdam advices
saying that the kaiser has been shorn
OF his war and peace making powers
are concerned, Secretary of State Lam
5altlnehl Nay 81 ~ ile = subjscf ifs} h ,mSs news.
paper reports from neutral countries.
While these tend to make the depart
ment believe the reports are true until
they are officially confirmed, it must
be necessary'to accept them with re-
serve. But officials do not believe that
such action goes far enough to meet
the conditions laid down by President
Wilson in his decision on the original
German peace appeal. The entire Ger
man form of government must be
made absolutely responsible to the peo-
pie themselves.
There was report here today that
the German reichstag would meet to-
morrow CFriday) and that it would
take up President Wilson's decision
and debate whether the conditions laid
down by him should be met. In con-
nectjon with the report was another
that the majority of the membership
would favor an acceptance of the terms
laid down. There was, of course, no
to this rumor, and Off
cials contented themselves with saying
that 1t would be very nice II it worked
out that way. 1t Is entirely within the
bounds of possibility. German mill
tary commanders in the field NAV be
Army in Serious Fix.
The present allied movement along
the western front has placed the army
IN a serious position, and there are
many officials here who do not believe |
that 1t now Is possible for the high
command to save the army and its |
supplies by retreat. If they do not |
ask for an armistice. 1t is considered !
certain here that a large part of the |
main German forces must surrender. |
Financial circles continued today to |
INSIST that the government was in pos
session of much more information on
he exact situation within Germany
than 1t was willing to make known.
AND this belief prevailed in the face of |
he denial Of officials and the promise
hat they would make public all infor-
nation received as fast as it became
available. The financial experts de-
'lared that they expected some big
news after the market closed. One
basis for this report was the fact that
or two days now President Wilson
has denied himself to all callers and
las remained closeted in his study in
he White House proper. No informa-
ion was forthcoming as to what the
PRESIDENT was doing. although there
vas suggestion that he was exarnin-
ng data dealing with the Austrian and
Turkish situations preparatory to re-
dying to the peace appeals of the two
governments.