The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-10-18
PRESIDENT REFUSES
TO HUNS
ENEMY MUST GET OUT OF OCcU.
PIED TERRITORY BEFORE cEs-
SATioN OF POSSIBILITIES
TRAP OF GERMANY Is AVOIDED
Answer Cannot Be Used by Hun junk
ers to Bolster Up War Spirit
President Asks Macmillan
for More information

Washington, oct. 9.-President VII
,on has met Germany's peace note
with Il move which will at one strOhe
develop whether her proposal is sin
cere or merely pretension and, II pre-
tension it be, fully justify for all time
before the world the prOlonging of the
war with force to the utmost. force
without stint or limit. At the same
time the president has left wide open
the door to peace.
The unanimous opinion among dip
lomats Is that the president by Il care
fully studied, most skillful reply, has
robbed them of that opportunity, If
they desired 1t, and has sent to The
German people themselves u new mes
sage that the United States and allies
desire nothing more than IA reign of
law, based upon the consent of the
governed and sustained by the organ
lied opinion Of mankind"
1t was freely conceded that hasty
reading of the presidents answer
might not at first satisfy some who
hoped for flat rejection Of any terms
but an unconditional surrender. But
the government is confident that as
the presidents communication is care
fully digested, It's full import grasped
its almost inevitable effect realized.
and Its possibilities for weakening the
German military party on it's home
grounds comprehended, 1t will be seen
that the president chose very deep
but direct method of developing an
answer for all time to the question
do the German people want peace?
Avoids Hun Trap.
Press dispatches had previously an
n0unced that the president would not
make curt and peremptOry rejec-
ton Of the offer, nor bluntly demand
an unconditional surrender now be-
cause the American government did
not propose to fall into the trap of
supplying the German militarists with
"A means of bolstering up their argu-
ment that the Germans are fighting n
defensive war and that the an
nounced objects of the allies are only
10 destroy" them.
That is precisely what President
wilson has avoided. He has met what
the allied diplomats regard as a trick
with move which will expose II. If
trick 1t be. He has called upon the
German government for evidence of
It's good faith, and should it not be
forthcoming, he has left with the Ger
man lenders the problem Of explain
ing to their own people, already clam
oring for peace why they are not will
ing to accept ii.
From that point the president passes
to another which will develop as the
exchange proceeds, whether the Unit
I'd States and the allies will deal ex-
rept ON, the battlefield with the Ger
man government as at present consti.
tuted. The president tells the chan.
cellor he feels he is Justified in ask.
ne whether the imperial chancellor is
speaking merely for the constituted au-
thorities of the empire, who have so
lar conducted the war" This will de-
velop whether Macmillan speaks for
she German militariStS whom the pres
tdent has denounced as unworthy of
any trust ana who regarded treaties
as scrap of paper" or whether he
speaks with the force of the people of
the nation. This is regarded as nroh.
ably the most important part of the
presidents communication. frauyht
with potent possibilities OF the most
far reaching effect in Germany. where
IN active allied propaganda has heen
making rapid Roadway in awakeninp
the German people to the necessity
II assuming the responsibility of their
'wn government and making their own
peace.
To appreciate its meaning, This pnrt
II the presidents answer must he con.
sfdered in connection with portion
" his speech of September -. in New
York. in which he declared
we are all agreed thar there can
be no peace obtained by any kind If
bargain or compromise with govern.
ments of the central empires. because
We have dealt with them already aud
have seen them deal with other gav.
rrhtnents that We're parties to This
struggle, III Brest LitovSk and I'm.
chsreSt, They have convinced us thnt
they are without honor and they do
NOT intend Justice. They serve M
covenants. accept no principles Inn
force and their own Interests W,
cannot come Ia terms with them
they have made il impossible. The
German people must by this time b,
tniiy aware that we cannot accent m,
word of thnSe Mhn hnNn fnrcnl IL.