The Washington herald., 1918-06-02
GLCAT over DRIVE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE TWO.

NUN l"O.
back up Ia pan-Germans to the ex-
treme limit on each and all Of these
issues. II the pan-Germans can de-
liver the goods in the west.
The great mass Of the German peo-
pie belong either to the Socialist party
or to the Catholic Center party. These
two organizations between them rep
resent at least four-fifths of articu,ate
Germany. When the Center party, un-
der the leadership of Erzberger. took
up a Misunderstanding position
last summer and forced through the
Reichstag on July 10 the no indemni-
ties and no anexations resolution, to
which they compelled the new Chan
cellor Michaelis. and later Count
Hertling. TO do lip service, 1t seemed
to many observers outside Germany
that the German people at length was
rousing itself It is now known here
that the reason the Center party de-
manded peace was because Austria,
last summer. declared under no cir
cumstances could she fight on beyond
Christmas. Erzberger read in secret
session a letter from the Emperor
Charles to this eeffct. The peace with
Russia and the victory over italy de-
termined Austria to go on; the Lu-
dendorff successes in the west re-
moved the last reason why the Center
should keep up its hypocritical atti-
tude any longer.
1t is understood here that the chan
cellor compelled the leaders of the
moderate" parties, in a secret meet
ing on April Il. to repudiate formally
the Reichstag peace resolution. Hert-
ling Is reported to have declared that
unless this was done at once he
must resign, that he was voicing the
demands of the high command, Hin
Genburg and Ludendorff. Whether
this is strictly accurate do not
know. but I have obtained the texts
Of two extremely important semi
official statements in which the Cen
ter and Socialist Majority parties Gym
ically repudiate the long-proclaimed
principles and declare themselves, in
somewhat obscure language, prepared
to endorse a policy of loot and plunder.
Centrists Meet Secretly. .
Eight hundred delegates of the Gen.
ter party met at a secret conference
at Cologne on April 6. where they
debated the peace policy of the party
under the intoxication of what were
officially proclaimed the decisive
victories of st. Quentin and Bapaume.
Herr Trimborn, a Reichstag deputy.
declared that since the Reichstag' S
endeavors to bring about a friendly
peace led to no result. victory must
bring peace I'VE are waiting quietly
and calmly for further Developments
he added significantly, amid great ap-
plause. Il am convinced that the
peace terms which emerge. like the
peace terms in the east. viii be unani-
mously approved by the party and its
deputies. At any rate. we have no
need to disagree about our foreign
policy. neither about the east nor
about the west"
This is the Center party.s subse-
quent declaration, of war aims. in
which it treats its previous princi-
Piles as scraps OF paper.
The Centrum had no need of any
pressure m order to proclaim the
free hand in the west because from
the first 1t had expressly. provided for
a free hand at this juncture. We re-
call, frst, the speech delivered in the
Reichstag by Deputy Trimborn, the
acting president OF the party. Should
the enemy compel us to new sacrifices,
these must a. q matter uf course, be
compensated at the final peace, which
will be determined by the military sit
uation then existing, as well as othei
considerations At this serious mo.
nent ! specially smphasise this.' Tha'