The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-03-05

LOlluOl, MAI Gil I'LL llC NlNW
of the Marquis of Lansdowne, eX-
pressed in the letter of The Daily
Telegraph, the recent speech OF
Chancellor Won Hertling of Ger
many marks a perceptible advance
in peace directions. Lord Lans-
downe thinks it all the more re-
markable because the speech may
be regarded as a kind of rejoinder
to the depressing announcement re-
Gently made-some OF us think
rather gratuitouSly - at the Yer
sailles conference
Lord Lansdowne notes that the
German chancellor regarded the
speech made by Viscount Miner
| (British) on February p as more
conciliatory than that made re
Gently by Walter Runciman (Brit-
ish), former president Of the board
of trade, and Lansdowne seems by
implication to agree with Count
Won Hcrtling, the German.
Four Points Selected.
Four points of Won Hertling S
speech are selected by Lord Lans-
downc for comment. First is the
chancellor's wish for an intimate
meeting of the belligerents. Lord
Lansdownc interprets this to mean
small informal meeting, not OF
plenipotentiaries, but of persons
authorized to discuss confidentially
the possibility of a more formal con-
ference. He refers approyingly tc
the opinion of Foreign Secretary
Baliour (British) that it would be
unwise to begin negotiations unles:
some preliminary agreement exists
and asks how such preliminar!
agency is to be reached without pre-
liminary conversations.
Lord LanSdowne remarks that al
lied spokesmen now are sternly rep
ROTATING Germany's crimes and arr
submitting demands which are no
likely to be conceded until German,
8 is beaten to her knees, while Ger
man spokesmen are putting forwar
. inadmissible demands and imputini
selfish and aggressive aims to the al
lies. He continues: in these cir
- cumstances, it seems at first sigh
s that there is nothing for it but tina
c Count Won Hertling calls adherenc
n to the existing methods of 'dialogu
across the channel and the ocean
II Dialogues after all may be useful.
Wilson's Four Principles.
The second point is Won Hert
J. ling's admission that peace can b
c discussed on the basis of Presider
" Wilson's four principles. This, say
! Lord Lansdowne, is satisfactory a
Z far as it goes, but he maintains tina
- Eve are entitled to scrutinize tn
= manner in which these principle
= have been applied by Germany"
The third point is the chancellor
assurance that he would greet JOY
fully and cooperate gladly with an
impartial court of International al
btration. Lord Lansdowne say
this statement may be welcome,
and he recalls that Mr.. Balfou
made 4 similar utterancc.
The fourth point is Won Her
!, ling's intimation that Germany do,
NJ not think of retaining Belgium, t
Y gether with the chancellor's refe
ences to the papal note and to II
utilization of Belgium as the jumI
IS ingoff ground of Germany's er
'e cmies. Lord Lansdowne admi
&c that when read in the light of 9th
D. German utterances this leads to II
NJ inference that the chancellor CO.
~ templated the imposition upon BE
d GUM of terms which would inte
~ fere with her independence, but
.lS points out that the material pa
sage in the papal note upon viii,
~ ~ Won Hertling apparently relies i
10 sist that Germany evacuate Be
sc ical, military and economic ind
~ gium and guarantee her full pol
lle cal, military and economic ind
~ pendece, adding that if such a qua
~ antee is really all the chancell
y. requires it ought not to be difficl
~ to satisfy him"
eu The letter continues:
~, Let us hope that in the course
A IL 4 .T