Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1918-11-07
WILSON SAYS SURRENDER,
OR REMOVE AUTOCRATS"
German Reply To Wilson's Note


London.-The following is the text,
received here by wireless, of Ger
many's reply to the latest note from
President Wilson.
In accepting the proposal for an
evacuation of occupied territories the
German Government has started from
the assumption that the procedure of
this evacuation and of the conditions
of an armistice should be left to the
Judgment of the military advisers, and
that the actual standard of power of
both sides in the field has to form
the basis for arrangements safeguard
ing and guaranteeing this standard.
The German Government suggests TO
the President that an opportunity
should be brought about for fixing the
details.
ut trusts that the President of the
United States will approve of no de-
mand which would be irrecOncilable
with the honor of German people and
with opening way to q peace of JUS
tice.
1.-The German Government protests
against the reproach of Illegal and in
humane actions made against the
German land and sea forces, and
thereby against the German people.
For the covering of retreat destruc-
tons will always be necessary, and
they are carried out in SO far as is
permitted by international law. The
German troops are under most strict
instructions to spare private property
and to exercise care for the population
to the best of their ability Where
the aggressiOns occur in spite of these
instructions the guilty are being pun
ished.
The German Government further
denies that the German navy, in sink
ing ships, has ever purposely destroy
ed lifeboats with their passengers.
The German Government proposes
with regard to all those charges that
the facts be cleared up by neutral com.
missions.
"ln order to avoid anything that
might hamper the work of peace, the
German Government has caused or
ders to be dispatched to all submarine
commanders precluding the torpedOing
of passenger ships, without, however,
for technical reasons, being able to
guarantee that these orders will
reach every single submarine at sea
before its return.
"As a fundamental condition for
peace the President prescribes the de-
structiOn of every arbitrary power
| that can separately, secretly and of its
| own single choice disturb the peace Of
| the world TO this the German Gov
eminent replies:
"Hltherto t.re representation of the
people in the German Empire has not
been endowed with an influence on the
| formation of the Government. The
| constitution did not provide for con-
currence of representation of the peo-
| pie in decisions of peace and war.
| These conditions have just now under
gone a fundamental change. A new
| Government has been formed in com
plete accordance with the wishes
| (principleO of the representation of
| the people based on equal, universal,
secret, direct franchise.
"The leaders of the great parties of
| the Rechstag are members of this
| Government In the future no Gov
| eminent can take or continue in Of
| flee without possessing the confidence
of majority of the Reichstag.
"The responsibility Of the Chancel-
| Tor of the empire to the representa-
ton of the people is being legally de-
veloped and safeguarded The first
act of the new Government had been
| to lay before the Reichstag a bill to
alter the constitution of the empire
SC that the consent of the representa-
| ton of the people is required for de-
| cisions on war and peace.
"The permanence of the new system
| is. however, guaranteed not only by
constitutional safeguards, but also by
the unshakable determination of the
| German people. whose vast majority
stands behind these reforms and de-
mand their energetic continuance.
"The question of the President
| with whom he and the Governments
associated against Germany are deal
ing-is therefore answered in clear,
unequivOcal manner by the statement
that the offer of peace and an armis-
| tce has come from Government
which is free from any arbitrary and
| irresponsible influence-is supported
by the approval of an overwhelming
| ma iority of the German people.
SOLE"