Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-09-14
''DeSpite Our Favorable Mill
tary Situation, We Prefer to
Abandon This Idea," Says
Vice Chancellor.
PRE- WAR POSSESSIONS
MUST ALL BE RESTORED
viii Not Agree to Submit to
Entente Powers for Approx
al the Three Treaties AL
ready Entered Into.
tay uosmao .oupa.. SPECIAL ,s..,p w,,,,

| tsT MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL tEAsEp WlssI
/ Amsterdam Sept. II (Thursday.l-
/ Reiterating that Germany, as tho
innocent and attacked party" in the
\ war, had a right to demand indemnl-
fication Friedrich Won Payer. the
| German imperial vice chancellor in
| his speech today at Stuttgart, said
! that I'VE prefer on calm reflection and
| even with our own favorable military
| situation, to abandon this idea"
Turning to the question of the occu-
| pied territories, the vice chancellor
said that as a preliminary condition
of peace for Germany and her allies,
those nations must have all their pre-
war possessions, including the German
colonies restored Then Germany. he
declared, could evacuate the German
occupied regions and could give back
Belgium without encumbrance and
( without reserve, providing no other
| state was more favorably placed in
regard to Belgium than was Germany
He asserted that Germany would not
| submit to the entente powers for ap-
prova or alteration the peace trea-
ties which Germany had signed with
the Ukraine, Russia, and Rumania.
Herr Won Payer considered that the
present terrible struggle would not end
with a peace of the customary char
acter. A mere glance at the state OF
complete exhaustion of the world ex-
cludes such a possibility, he said.
''In former peace negotiations he
said, "the middle and the lower class
es when II came to the council table
fell quietly into the background. This
now is over and the governments will
conclude the coming peace treaties in
close harmony with the entire people.
No Peace of Conquest.
"The main thing for them In peace
is not the acquisition of land. treasure
| and glory: they aim nowadays at the
conclusion of a lasting peace and
therefore. there will be no peace of
conquest"
Herr Won Payer considered thrat this
might mean disappointment and re-
nunciation to Germany's enemies,
which would be almost equivalent to a
confession of defeat, as they have
made the destruction and political
shattering of us and our allies their
aim"
Russia, he thought, might have re-
mained in existence If she had grant
cd tolerable conditions to the en-
slaXed Russians by federal constitu-
ton.
"She collapsed" the vice chancellor
said, because she could not maintain
internal cohesion Our victories and
those of our allies now have given the
subjects of that colossal empire an OPP
portunity to liberate themselves
The chancellor said it was unthink-
able that German would contribute TO
the restoration of the despotic Russian
empire which. by its mere existence.
always menaced the world
Must Protect Border.
1--WE cannot hand over Poland to
Russia" he added. Nor can we assist
in having Finland again placed under
the Russian yoke. We cannot leave to
their fate the border states which lia
on the German frontier and the Bal
tic to be subjected against their will
to Russia imperialism. or thrown into
the perils OF civil war and anarchy.
"In fact, these states, having como
to an understanding with us. as those
most nearly interested, can only be an
advantage to the world, and we can
never permit anyone to meddle with
us in this matter, from the standpoint
of the present European balance oe
power or rather British predomi-
nance"
Herr Won Payer asserted that Ger
many had peace in the east and would
not submit to the entente for Its ap-
proval or alteration the peace trea-
ties with the Ukraine, Russia and Ru-
mania.
! "For the rest, the territorial pos
Sessions which had existed before the
war can everywhere be restored" the
speaker added.
"A preliminary condition for us ana
our allies is that all the territory
should again be restored which we
possessed on August /, 1914. Ger
many must, therefore, in the first
place receive back her old colonies,
in which connection the idea OF an
exchange on the grounds of expedi-
ency need not be excluded.
Can Give Back Belgium.
eve Germans, as soon as peace fs
concluded, can evacuate the occupied
regions. We can when once things
have been got to the stage, restore
Belgium. If we and our allies are once
again in possession of what belonged
to us and IL we first are sure that
in Belgium no other state will be more
favorably placed than we, then Bel-
GUM, ] think, | may say, can be Civ
en- back without incumbrance and
without reserve"
The vice chancellor said a requisite
understanding between Germany and
Belgium was easier because their
economic interests frequently were
paralleled and that Belgium was di-
rectly dependent upon Germany as q
hinterland He said he had no reason
to doubt that the Flemish question
could be solved in accordance with
the dictates of justice and wise states
manship.
at is hypocrisy to represent Bel
GUM as the innocent victim Of our
policy" Herr Won Payer said, and
to clothe her. as 1t were in the white
garments of innocence. The Belgian
government-and that is what mat
ters, not the Belgian psopla-took ~