The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-09-19
GERMANY LAUNCHES
PEACE OFFENSIVE
Teutons According to Official Dis
patches May Act Through Neutral
Scandinavian Countries.
WINTER DISCUSSION PLANNED

Wasbingtonn.-Germ peace Of
fensive, which already has been
launched, is expected to take definite
form in the proposal of an armistice.
Germany, according to official dis
patches from France, may act through
the neutral Scandinavian countries.
Count Burian's talk to correspond
ents during which peace was discuss
ed is but a part Of Austro-German
peace maneuvers, such as always
takes place after a great military sue
cess by the Allies, the dispatch adds.
1t says:
ut looks as If such maneuvers were
to be tried in all directions. In reali-
ty, different information and some
articles in the papers received from
Holland and scandinavian countries
seem to indicate that a new peace
maneuver is being arranged in the
neutral countries of Northern Europe.
The presence of DR.. Matthias Erzber-
ger in Copenhagen at the time when
a Scandinavian inter-parliamentary
conference is to take place lends sub
sanitation TO this.
Besides, the Press Telegraph
agency, known for its pro-German In
clinations, sends to Switzerland a long
selection from the Roman Catholic
Dutch paper, Tijd, in which an &C
count is given of things political in
nd - tho
that the German agencies go to such
pains to publish it, it is most inter-
esting."
The substance of the article in the
Dutch paper is then given in the fol-
lowing language:
I'm the course of the conference
that the two emperors held at gen.
eral headquarters the proposal of an
armistice would have been decided
upon, as they thought it would be
easier to succeed this way than by
peace appeals. This proposal would
only take place at the beginning OF
winter at time when all war opera
tons would be paralyzed and the ap-
proach of the fifth winter of war
would begin to be felt in the trenches.
'In this offer of an armistice there
is supposed to be said:
That all damage caused by the
war to all belligerents could not pos
sibly be repaired if the war were to
continue and to cause devastation of
new territories. After making a point
of showing the solely defensive char
acter Of the war carried on by Ger
many, it would be proposed to pur-
sue during the winter private discus
sions on all questions opened by the
war. The Central powers would de-
clare themselves in favor of league
of nations and the essential principles
of Lord Gray
THE proposal of an armistice is
to restore the independence of Bel
GUM, to consent that Belgium should
| be Unidentified from an international
fund for the damage she has suffered
and that she is ready to exchange
views on the question of the evacua-
| JlOn Oh 0OTlueTu FRANCE anu the TeSll-
tuition of German colonies.
1.-The Alsace- Lorraine problem would
be settled in a manner that would
not allow French feelings to be hurt
If Germany is awarded certain in.
IDENTITIES and certain concessions a
denomination of the Brest-Litovsk
might be made.
"If the Entente was to reject pro
posal for an armistice made on these
terms the position of Germany re
garding her morale would be very
much strengthened"
The last sentence, says the dispatch
expresses the real meat of the mat
ter. Germany would hope to profit By
her trap in either event. For the pres
ent, It adds, President Wilson's IA
stipulations constitute the peace pro
gram of the Allies and there has beer
no disposition on the part of the Cen
trail powers to consider them collect
lively.