Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-10-18
NEWS review OF
The GREAT WAR
Germany's Tricky Peace Move Is
Baked by President Wilson's
Diplomacy.
ARMIES OPPOSE ARMlsTIcE
Cambrai Captured and Huns' Defen.
sIve Line Smashed, Compelling Gen.
eraI Retreat-Yanks Success
full in Champapne-Belrut
Occupied by the French.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD.

Prince Max of Baden, the new i'm
perial chancellor of Germany, re-
questing President Wilson to arrange
for an armistice and subsequent dis
cussion of peace terms, and stating
that Germany accepted the presidents
IA points as basis for the negotia-
tiOnS, evoked three separate and dis
tinct replies. President Wilson an
swered that he could not suggest an
armistice while the German armies
were outside the boundaries of Ger
many, and then asked whether the
German government accepted the
terms laid down by him and whether
its object in entering discussions was
only to agree upon the practical de-
tails of their application; furthermore,
he wanted to know whether the chan
eellor was speaking merely for the
constituted authorities of the empire
who have so far conducted the war.
The people of all the allied nations,
soldiers and civilians alike, answered
Prince Max with q tremendous shout
of Unconditional surrender"
Marshal Foch responded with one of
the most powerful attacks Of the al
lied armies, capturing the important
city Of Cambria, smashing 20-mile-
wide breach through the Hindenburg
line, and forcing back the German
armies all along the line from Verdun
| to the sea.
Nearly all authorities agree that the
| chRDcellor's proposal was insincere
| tkat the request for an armistice was
made merely to give the military COM
mand chance to reorganize the shat
tered armies, and that Prince Max
knew the suggestion for a peace con-
ference, as he made it, would be re-
jected, giving him the opportunity p
say to the people Of Germany: 'T have
offered to end the war on the enemy's
own terms and he refuses. The Ger.
man nation now must unitedly fight
on"
At first there was some dtsappoint.
| ment because President Wilson did
| rot reject rhe German proposal swift
ly and bluntly, but little considera
| tion has convinced almost everyone
| that he evadcd 4 trap and by his d.
rect questions put the German dip
lomats in position of the utmost diffi
Guilty. At the same time he left the
door open for ultimate negotiations
sitter Germany has accented his J.
points and given full guarantees. k'
Tor the arrnistice he did not agree tt
that even were the German armies Il
lie withdrawn from all occupied terri
tories, recognizing the fact that tn,
declaring of an armistice is NJ +
the military commanders. The preSi
dents nore was fully approved, prob
thly in advance. by the allied govern
ments, and was given the highes
praise by the press in England ant
France as we'll as America.
IA
ANY agreed cessation of nghting q
this time. short Of the abject surren
der of the central powers. would bit
terly disappOint the soldiers of TIL
allied armies and the people who ar
hacking them up. Foch's forces hav
the Germans on the run. and if the
are permitted to follow up the Hun
On their retreat to the Meuse they vii
destroy large part of their effective
ness and capture probably half of thei
material. On the other hand an arnis
tice would permit the Huns to retir
within their borders with their armie
intact and prepared to maneuver efreC
lively behind their shortened and pow
crfully fortified lines. Animated b
spirit, not of vindictiveness, but o
retributive justice, he men Of the a
lied armies feet that no peace shoul