, 1918-10-31

oItu as lIt tdpllOl VI belSluiu. -
unconditional surrender and that Ny.
Wilson was losing ground by continu-
Ing the diplomatic discussion with a
government with which, he very prop
erly declares. the United States cannot
negotiate. Tbere was general appro-
val of the latter part of the note. which
pronounced against any peace with the
kaiser, and the rest of it was praised
by those Who saw in 1t a clever move
to ALLEVIATE the German people from
their military leaders. There was no
doubt anywhere of the rightness of the
presidents aims and intentions. but
many public men feared that his very
admirable detestation of war and his
fondness for writing notes might lead
him into an embarrassing diplomatic
maze.
In reinsurance, 1t may be said that
no armistice n no peace will be ar
ranged that are not entirely to the sat
~isfaction of Great Britain, France and
Italy, as well as the United States,
and that these -four allies have agreed
that Germany must be required to sur
render. There will be no cessation of
hostilities on the part of the allies un-
til Germany not only ~evacuates occu-
pied territory, but also gives substan-
tial guarantees that will prevent re-
sumption of fighting by her; and the
entente allies are determined that II
discussions concerning an armistice
shall take into full consideration the
sea power, in which they are predomi-
nant.
-h-
In his delayed reply to the note from
Austria Hungary President Wilson in
formed Vienna that events had made
some of his famous fourteen points
out of date, notably that concerning
the autonomy of the oppressed peoples
In the dual kingdom. since the United
States had recognized the independ-
ence Of the Czecho- Slovaks and the ma
tionaf aspirations of the Jugo-Slavs.
Consequently he could not talk peace
with those points as a basis. Then
followed an imperial manifesto an
nouncing the formation of federal
states in Austria-Hungary; the setting
up of a state Of their own by the Ger
mans in Austria; the creation Of a
sovereign state by the Slovenes, Croat-
ians and Serbs without reference TO
present political frontiers, and prog
ress by the Hungarians toward full in
dependence, with reports that they
were about to apply to the entente
governments for terms for a separate
armistice and peace. The empire of
Charles vas fast breaking up, and
there was the greatest depression In
Vienna, where famine threatens and
the authorities are powerless. Conse-
| 0uently, according to dispatches, the
Austrian government is becoming
reconciled to the Idea of unconditional
capitulation.
-E-
Again, and yet again, the unduly op-
timistic must be reminded that, from a
military point of view. Germany is
| still far from being defeated. Though
she is being forced tt relinqulsh her
grip on Belgium and northern France,
she is conducting her retreat in order
and much in her w way, and though
losing much material and thousands
of men, is carrying off most of her
heavy guns and a great deal of her
supplies, destroying the hulk of those
left. behind. She still has about 100
divisions on the west front, 80 of them
being In reserve, and with these, with
the men returned from hospitals and
| with those coming of military age she
probably can hold out for many months
on her shortened front. The Huns are
falling back to successive lines of de-
tense, pivoting on the positions north
of the Argonne and on the Mouse
| heights, and with many thousands of
machine guns in strong positions are
making the advance of the allies as
difficult and expensive as possible. The
present government of Germany seem
ingly doesn't intend to give up the
fight without making a desperate fin
ish. and toward the end of the week 1t
was said Ludendorff had drafted a
| proclamation to the people exhorting
them to carry on the war to the utmost,
since the allies would not grant them
peace without humiliation.
-
All week long the Germans con
tlnued their withdrawal from Belgium,
sometimes moving rapidly, and at 9th
ers putting up a stouter resistance in
order to rescue some stores or uns
In being driven from the Belgian coast
some $4,000 Huns were forced across
the Holland border and were prompt
" informed by the Dutch. Haig's Brit
| ish forces, ably seconded by the Bel