Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-23
PREsID GUIDED
!. BY ALLIED OPINION
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the German intention in this respect.
hut those who take this line Of rea-
soAfng say the point Is immatertal at
this time IL the proper military safe
guards arc employed to prevent Ger
many from backing out OF her an
terms.
Question Ct Safeguards.
The question: then. is what shall
those military safeguards be? It is
here that the unanimous demand Of the
American people that the German mill
tary power be destroyed or rendered
forever impotent is fully recognized.
and 1t is emphattcally argued that the
American people must trust Marshal
Fpch. Gen. Haig and Gen. Pershing.
who will arrange the principles. as well
rs the details, of the military situation,
while Vice admiral Sims, in conference
with the allied naval chiefs, will see
to it thac supremacy is Maintained on
the seas as well rs on land.
America and the allies, 1t is fur
thermore argued, would lose nothing
by the terms laid down by the allied
military and naval commanders. Ger
many, too, is much mistaken and her
ihsiaeerity will be promptly exposed
IL SuS DSllcVSS tudL mdESudl anu
his associates intend to preserve any
balance of power with respect to the
fighting forces Of both sides.
In fairness to the position which
these who adopt this line of thought
are taking. it should be stated that
armfstice arranged as amount to an
unconditional surrender For in
stance, it is said that the President
himself believes that ne matter what
h.
side of the negotiation. no matter
what question there may be as to in
terraetation of terms, there must be
no Question about the sustained mil
itary supremacy Of the entente.
In Complete Accord.
Just what that supremacy involves
may be- understood when it is said
that the President and Marshal Foch
of any truce. And not long ago the
New York World published dispatch
from Paris giving the details of the
armiaiee program already adopted
by Marshal Foeh and the supreme
the EVACUATION of all invaded terri
tory and the occupation by the allies
of the large forts. especially Metz,
inside Alsace-Lorraine.
Furthermore. the Germans would
and material of war which they now
possess in Belgium and northern
France, in Finland, in Poland, in Ser
bia and in other territory invaded by
them. Acceptance OF such terms
would mean that the allied armies
could move up to the German border
line and if the Germans did not keep
their word and tried to back out of an
acceptance of the Presidents fourteen
demands the military and naval SUI
premacy of the allies would make
short shrift of the situation.
The only weakness in this line OF
argument is the possibility that Ger
many will not agree to 1t, Whereupon
| the proponents of it say the dupliclty
of Germany will be fully exposed and
the war may go on until they are
tready to do SO.
No Cessation Of Hostilities.
In other words, whatever may be
the discussion on the political phases
Of the war. whatever may be the in
Iterpretations given the different terms
of peace that may be at issue. there
will be no cessation of hostilities until
the allied terms of armistice are fully
icarried out.
in of Gen. March and Secretary Dan
iels had to do with the discussion OF
this second mode of treating the Ger
l e.A@1 SSO0--
man answer.
It would mean that the President
was trying to keep the door to dis
custom of peace wide open: while at
that the allied armies were in a po-
sition to accept the territory and war
material abandoned by. the Germans
and hold it while the talking went on,
being ready to resume hostilftles, not
from points in northern France and
I r. hnrdor
line within actual striking distance
OF the Rhine.
Public to Learn Soon.
The public may get some positive
information tonight or tomorrow on
which to gauge the situation, but
the reticence in government circles
today is being interpreted as mean
ling consultation with the allied gov
ernments and military and naval COM
jmanders, as to proper safeguards.
| Whatever the final decision, 1t is
lfuHy expected that Great Britain and
j France and Italy will be in accord
with it. If one believes, therefore,
that Germany is really trying to sur
render and is putting her trust in
President Wilson's sense of justice to
prevent the destruction of the German
people, economically and otherwise,
then it may be considered that peace
is not far away.
On the other hand, If one believes the
| Germans are still maneuvering. still
think they can keep their autocracy
after the parleys are over, and are
| simply sparring to stop the onslaught
| of the allied armies. which would
part to abandon their territory and
arms, too. then it may be considered
that the; war is far from over. and
that the process of forcing the Ger
mans to retire by further hostilities
will be triumphantly continued.