The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-10-24
WILSON 5 ANSWER
T0lkTEsT NOTE
IS SURRENDER
If United States Has to Deal
With Military Masters
CANNOT TRUST GERMANS
Power Is Still With King Of Prussia
Instead Of With people-This
Must Change.

Washington, Oct. 24-The Secre-
tary of State makes public the follow
ing:
From the Secretary Of State to the
Charge d'Affaires ad interim in
charge OF German interests in the
United States.
Department of State, Oct. 23, 1918.
"Sir:
'I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your note Of the 22nd,
transmitting a communication under
date of the goth from the German gov
ernment and TO advise you that the
President has instructed me to reply
thereto as follows"
Having received the solemn and ex
plicit assurance of the German gov
ernment that it unreserverly accepts
the terms of peace laid down in his
address to the Congress of the United
States on the eighth of January. 1918,
and the principles of settlement
enunicated in his subsequent address,
particularly the address of the 27th
of September, and that it desires to
discuss the details OF their application
and that this wish and purpose
emanated, not from those who have
hitherto dictated German policy and
conducted the present war on Ger
manys behalf, but from ministers who
speak for the majority of the Reich
stag and for an overwhelming MAORI
ty of the German people; and having
received also the explicit promise Of
the present German government that
the humane rules of civilized warfare
will be observed both on land and sea
by the German armed forces, the
President of the United States feels
that he cannot decline to take up with
the governments with which the gov
ernment of the United States is as
scciateA he question of an armistice,
He deems it l.Ss duty TO say again.
however, that the only afmistice he
woi.,d feel justified In sug'Yitting fcs
consideration would be one which
should leave the United States and
the powers associated with her. in
position to enforce any arrangements
that may be entered into and to make
a renewal Of hostilities on the part of
Germany impossible.
The President has, therefore, trans
mitted his correspondence with the
present German authorities to the gov
ernments with which the government
of the United States is associated as
belligerent, with the suggestion that,
II those governments are disposed to
effect peace upon the terms and prln.
ciples indicated, their military ad-
visors and the military advisors of the
United States be asked to submit to
the governments associated against
Germany the necessary terms of such
an armistice as will fully protect the
interests OF the peoples involved and
ensure to the associated governments
the unrestricted power to safeguard
and enforce the details of the peace
to which the German government has
agreed, provided they deem such an
armistice possible from the military
point of view. Should such terms Of
armistice be suggested their accept.
ance by. Germany will afford the best
concrete evidence of her unequivocal
acceptance OF the terms and princi-
pies Of peace from which the whole
action proceeds.
The President would deem himself
lacking in candor did he not point out
in the grankest possible terms the rea
son why extraordinary safeguards
must be demanded Significant and
important as the constitutional
changes seem to be which are spoken
of by the German foreign secretary in
his note of the twentieth Of October
ii does not appear that the principle
of government responsible TO the
German peop'e has vet been fully
worked out or that any guarantees
either exist or are in contemplation
that the alterations of principle ant
OF practice now partially agreed up
on will be permanent.
Moreover, II does not appear tha
the heart OF the present difficulty ha,
been reached. II may be that futur,
wars have been brought under the con
troll Of the German people. but thl
present war has not been; and Il 4