The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-10-17
WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER.
(By Cong. P. D. Norton.)
Peace by Battle.

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The great majority of the members
of the House and Senate and the pub
lie generally in Washington, and
throughout this section of the country
give very little credence to the good
faith of the peace proposal of October
9th of the Imperial German Chancel-
Tor, Prince Macmillan of Baden.
Much disappointment has been ex-
pressed at the Presidents preliminary
reply Of heterogeneous to t6 Ger
man Chancellor under date Of October
9Th. 1t was expected that the Presi-
dent would have promptly, clearly
and forcefully replied to the Chancel-
lor that no armistice on land or sea
or air would be entered into by the
United States and her Allies until
the Imperial German government laid
down her arms in unconditional sur
render, prepared to make restitution
and reparation for the wrongs, in
justices and outrages the insane de-
sire for worldwide domination of her
War Lords and their followers has
brought upon Belgium, France and
their Allies since the beginning of
the war and prepared to give and
keep guarantees against future at
tacks and outrages upon nelghborlng
nations, desiring to live and follow the
ways of peace.
While the interrogatories of the
President clearly invite further dis
cussion, no important advantage for
the Allies can be seen in this, at this
time, except that this discussion may
tend to weaken the morale Of the Ger
man people in their support of the
war. On the other hand, on this lat
ter view, Mr.. Samuel l.. Gompers,
president of the American Federation
of Labor, who is now with the Amer
lean Labor Commission in Rome, ca
bles from there that the German
Chancellor's peace offer of an armis-
tice is nothing more than another
trick of Germany to weaken the SOL
idarity of the Allied democracies and
their will to fight on to final and
complete victory for the destruction
of Imperialism. militarism and auto
cracy.
Should the German Chancellor re-
ply that Germany will accept the
peace terms and principles stated by
the President in his address OF Janu-
arv 9th last, and in his subsequent adj
dresses, and that Germany will, If
permitted to do SO by the Allies, at
once withdraw her armies from the
soil of the Allies, and further states
in his reply that he speaks for the
German people as we'll as for the gov
eminent of Germany that has thus far
conducted the war, even then an arm
istice on land and sea and air, at this
time, will be greatly to the advantage
Of Germany and to the disadvantage
of the Allies.
If Germany is now given an oppor-
tunity. through an armistice, to with
draw, without molestation, all Of her
troops to her own soil and the soil Of
her allies, she will then, with short
ened battle front and with her armies
intact, be in position to lightly regard
any promises made by her Chancellor
to accept the principles and terms laid
down by the President in his various
addresses.
An armistice at this time will per-
many, would, in all probabilities, ter
military strength to an extent that
will enable her under threats and
power to greatly prolong the end OF
the war, to demand and secure from
the Allies, in the final peace treat