The Pascagoula chronicle. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1905-1920, 1918-10-12
NO ARMIsTIcE FOR GERMANS.
President Asks Meaning of Terms of
Note Before Replying to
Peace Proposals.

cere or merely pretension, and
a pretnsion it be, fully justify for al
time before the world the prolongin
Of the war with force to the utmost
# force without stint or limit. at tn
IS same time the President has left wild
n open the door to peace.
e Declining to propose an armstic
y while the armies of the Central Pow
ers remain on invaded soil, the Pres
e ident today called on the German
S chancellor to state, as an absolute nee
p essary preliminary to reply from
J. the Entente Allies and the United
A States. whether Germany accepts the
e principles of peace as repeatedly laij
e down, or merely proposes to accep
them "as the basis of negotiation,
| and whether the chancellor merely
} speaks for the German military mast
: ers conducting the war or the whole
German people.
AS the full significance of the
Presidents diplomacy is disclosed it
becomes evident that he has left open
the way to peace, and at the same
time has left the militarist leaders of
} the Central Powers with question
they must necessarily answer in a
way that will lead to peace or con-
front them with an embarrassing sit
uation in their own countries.
i Among diplomats here the Pres
ident's proclamation is regarded as
one Of his master strokes. 1t is point
ed out that upon cursory examination
it may not show such strong terms as
some may have desired All the Pres
ident's advisers, however, are con-
fident that as a close consideration re.
veals its full import, it will be ap-
parent that it is a long step forward if
Germany really means peace, and that
II she does not it will strip bare an
other hypocrisy of German diplomacy
so completely that the responsibility
for prolonging the war never can be
charged to the Allies, even by the
German people themselves.
The text of the Presidents COM
munication was made public today by
Secretary Lansing together with the
official text of Prince Maximilian's
note now published in America for
The first time. se
At the same time officials let it be
known that there would be no reply
at present to the Austrian note, similar
to that of the German chancellor. 1t
is not considered necessary to deal
with Austria until the time comes for
reply to her dominating ally
Correspondence in Case.
In announcing the Presidents action,
Secretary Lansing issued the follow
ing:
Department of State, October s, 1918.
The secretary of state makes public
the following communications:
From the charge d'affaires ad in
term of SwitZland in charge of Ger
man interests in the United States:
Legation of Switzerland
Washington, D. c., October 6, 1918
Department of German interests.
Mr.. PRESIDENT have the honor to
transmit herewith, upon instructions
from my government, the original text
of a communication from the German
government, received by this legisla
tion late this afternoon, from the
Swiss foreign office
An English translation of this COM
munication is also enclosed The Ger
man original text. however, is alone to
be considered as authoritative.
Please accept, Mr.. President, the as
surances of my highest consideration.
tSigned) F. OEDERLIN,
Charge d'affaires A. /. of Switzerland.
In charge of German interests in the
United States.
Mr.. Woodrow Wilson. President of
the United States, Washington.
(Enclosure).
Translation of communication from
German government to the President
of the United States, as transmitted
by the.c e.charge d'affaires A. |. of Switzer-
land, on October 6, 1918:
The German government requests
the President of the United States of
America to take steps for the restor-
alton of peace, to notify all belligerents
of this request, and to invite them to {
delegate plenipotentiaries for the
purpose of taking up negotiations.
The German government accepts, as
basis for the peace negotiations, the
program laid down by the President ,
Of the United States in his message
to Congress Of January s, 1918, and in /,
his subsequent pronouncements, par +
ticularly in his address of September ,
"a, 1918. In order to avoid further
bloodshed the German government re- n
quests to bring about the immediate q
conclusion Of a general armistice on
land, on water and in the air.
(Signed) MAX,
Prince of Baden, Imperial Chancellor
From the secretary of state of the
charge d'affaires of Switzerland. =
Department of State, October s, 1918. n
Sir:
Sir: | have the honor to aiknowl- e
edge, on behalf of the President, your v
1ote of October 6. enclosing the COM q
from the German govern v
nent to the President: and am in. a