Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-09
END INVASION
FIRST, PRESIDENT
TELLS WAR LORDS
Wilson'S Answer to Germany is
My Fourteen Principles Must
be Absolute Basis for
Peace.
ALLIES CANNON SPEAK

lrnanv and her allies could be ITaoint d
than is contained in President Wilson )
reply To the note OF the German Chan
cClIor protSing an armistIc while basis
for peace was being discussed
As interpreted IN such quarters, he has
sent word to the German Chancellor that
the ONLY terms we will listen to are the un
.rondit ionaI acceptance of the fourteen
propositions he laid down in his speech to
Congress ON Jan. = last, the evacuation of
all occupied territory as n precedent to any
discussion and demonstration that
NlaxmIllan. Prince of Baden speaks for
the German people and not for the KAISER.
He has put questions to the German
spokesman. the answers to which.
officials must strip the bid for peace ui
deceit and leave it practical agreement
to accept every condition the United
states has laid down, or else 10 reveal
the German Government 10 IT'S own
people and TO expose them to the full
wrath OF the invasion that only surrender
can avert.
EMPHATIC ~ ITS BRETITY,
The mechanics OF the portentous
message were simple for a document ON
which the fate Of nations and the happi-
ness of hundreds OF millions OF people de
pcndtd The President last night retired 20
his study with the messages from Germany
and tustria He had talked about them to
Secretary Of State Lansing and To Col T..
NJ House. hut hc was alone IN his COM
position OF the message itself lie remained
IN his study for hours. and the paper
hears evidence of much revision 1t would
seem that he had originally written much
more than appeared on the finished re
sponSC
There was probably good deal Of
elaboration between the paragraph that
dealt with what Prince Man meant and
+ that in which he announced that he did
: not feel Al liberty 20 suggest an armistlse
to nations whose soil was occupied hy
enemy troops
The President style Of composition
docs not ordinarily abound IN such abrupt
f, Charge IN subjects IIc is rather inclined
. 10 blend -nc topic into another but hero
F., h. sacrificed literary smoothncss to tho
emphasis oi brcyity.
Nobody saw the message Mondav night
Vest, rdav he summoned Secretary
Lansing. Col House and Secretary Tum
lIItv and read Ia hem the concluded word
They had no improvements to suggest
aud the document went to the State De
partmcnt for delivery to the charge
i Affairs al interim Of the Swiss Legation
MESSAGE TO GERMANY ALONE.
At : o'clock in the afternoon Secretary
Lansing delivered the uttCrancC 10 the
world through the newspaper correspond
Cnts.
The message is only to Germany The
Austrian proposition Is still 10 bc answer
ed Her case and that Of Turkey will be
dealt with in their turn Probably they
will get their answer in the uttcrancC
that will follow Prince NaNimihan'S re
J0irdcr to thu message Of to-day, for Il
will be noted that President Wilson begins
the note with Before making q reply
The reply he speaks 81 will b. the real
notIcc To the Central Empires Of What
they will be Obliged q do
Ii i not a reply but il i an INQUIRY
was the sole comment Secretary 81 State
Lansing wculd make on the Presidential
message for which The world had waited
The questions the President asks of
: the German Chancellor must hc ready in
connection with his various UttCrauCts
to which both refer IN the communications
II vsS i failure 10 realize thus that
caused the first impression % be something
Of disappointment 10 those who looked
. for a contempt uous refusal q hear any
thing thai Germany might say
As the statesmen and diplomats
studied the brief communication. Il be
came evident 10 them that by adopting
the interrogative tone the President de-
prIved the German Government of the
advantage II would have gained with the
German people by pointing out the re-
fusal as proving ITS contention that the
Allies sole aim was the destruction Of the
nation.
In other words II Germany Is sincere.
the President fourteen clauses are To be
the peace-they arc not 10 be merely 8
basis for talk about peace
MEMORABLE TOWARD WAR LORDS.
There Is little comfort seen here for
Germany in these terms They are taken
TO mean the absolute abandonment OF
any feveriSh dream Of world domination
either political or commercial
In general they would restore con
tincntal Germany 10 her old borders.
except for the loss Of Alsace-Lorrainc and
q strip that must 60 10 make up the re-
stored Poland but the guarantees thai
ar demanded for the reduction Of anna
ment. and the disposition Of colonies
according 10 the interests q the popu-
lations OF those colonies eQuallg with the
claims a possessing Governments and
The supcr-dou nation q tie concert Of
Nations suggested by tho President mean
au end forever - the GierInanlc vision
Of glory
The serond paragraph Of thc President
note Is the on, one that Is not . qIc>-
non
The President iecis bound 70 say WITH
regard TO the suggestion q az armi,tlrc
tina, hc wouid not tccl q liberty "a pro-
pose :, cessltlor, 81 arms T. the Govern
mems with which, the Government OF ne
| ntcd State y t,~o~iatcd against the
Central Powers - sing ~ the armies 81
those power ar upon then soil The
good faith 81 any discussion would mani
festlN depend upon tho consent Of the
Central Powers immediately to withdraw
their forces everywhere from invaded
TERRITORY"
That is one thing All admit about which
there may be no discussion, delay or
compromise. The cncny must get out Of
Belgium, France, Russia and thc Balkan
countries bcforc tncrc j talk Of ANYTHING
else
As Tong as 4 German soldier proranc-
the sol d Tho occupied territories Ter
IlanN viii hear no voice but from the
mouths Of cannon
Moreover restoration goes with
evacuation, for the seventh and eighth Of
the President ! fourteen terms demand
tins very thing
Germany failure H. consent to this
would make Il impossible for is 10 put any
faith III any other contract she might offer
10 enter INTO. But the last clause Of to-
days message i tho one that carrie