The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-20
GERMANS SOFTEN
TONE ON WILSON
Government Controlled Papers Which
Attacked Him Says Now That
Some of His Principal
Points Are DiSCrtssable.
rs Building. Richmond, Va.
FOAntH AFc Ub@, Ssst DIt'-

The Hague. Feb. ! Q Prom reports
received here German official circles
have decided to reconsider President
Wilson's address TO congress, and
newspapers what at hrst were some
what bitter IN their criticisms, have
now discovered that certain points IN
the address are discussable There ia
an obvious effort to drive a wedge be-
tween President Wilson and Premier
Lloyd George. and the press ia at
present busy trying to End points Of
difference between their utterances,
asserting that the two speeches can
not be reconciled.
The Cologne Gazette remarks that
Wilson'S speech, after tho Versailles
decisions liz 20 illogically opposed to
them that there Is no reConciling the
two" The paper asserts that the only
thing In which wilson agrees with
Lloyd George is in the effort to SOW
dissension between Germany and her
allies and between the political par
tes in Germany
The Weaer 2eitnuE savs that the
propitiatinR tone which some Germans
find in the Wilson speech is not to be
found in entente speeches. This paper
says Wilson has been playing man
ager" more and more
Trust In Wilson'S Sincerity.
On the other hand. the Social Dem
ocrats appear to have received the will
son speech favorally from the begin
ming. The Bremen Burger Zeitung
says that it is out of the question
that any one can doubt President Will
sons inclination for peace ter his
recent address
Gustav Streseuanv. leader Of the
| National Liberal party. in a review
| published in the National Heituos, re-
/ marks on the more conciliatory tone
! OF the latest Wilson address. and con-
/ tinuss;
! 1t is not long since u was said IN
! Washington that no peace could he
concluded with tho HohenzollernH 1t
! Is not very much. but It gives us at
! lease some satisfaction that we have
com PEELED statesmen to adopt a polite
| tone In their discussions. There ~ M
! doubt that Wilson's speech Is meant
as an overture for general peace nego-
tiations. The way for world peace
Will be prepared by all the speeches
! now being delivered by statesmen TO
their parliaments, which ara really ad-
dressed to the whole world"
| Predicts Cancellation by Cxrrnin.
| Vienna telegram tn the Frank
turter Zeitung reports that Count Ger
| min. who was recently received at the
! Vienna station on his return "as no
Austrian statesman ever had been re-
/ ceived." viii reply as early a. possible
( 70 President Wilson. Tho paper says
that naturally the answer will he In
the same tone which met with such
approval and which appears tuetifah1e,
Mr. Wilson has not adhered to the
Versailles decisions"
! 1t remains TO be seen, says the dis
patch. whether any practical results
have been gained. but at least no harm
a
will Il he possible TO drive wedge
between Germany and the dual mon
archy or to influence military decis-
ions. The paper SAYS that on princi-
pie Wilson and Czernin agreed. az
there IL In reality no difference be-
tween washington and Vienna, but
| the application Ia the problem, and
| Wilson should try his luck as Austrian
premier for just four weeks IN order
to acquaint himself with these prob
| lens"
A news agency sent out a report st
night that In Budapest political cir
Giles II IS considered that President
Wilson's speech forms basic on
which negotiations could he begun
The Turkish grand vi2ier Talaui
Pasha, interviewed by a Berlin jour
nalist In vienna, where he was on his
way back from Brest Litovsk. said
"One cannot quite make out what ia
behind Wilson's proposals. If he really
does not want to interfere with our in
ternal affairs we might End n way tn
meet him or course Turkey. a.
country composed OF various national
tiles. could not tolerate any interfer-
ence IN tho management of internal
state business"
The correspondent or the Nossische
ZeltunF which prints this statement
intimatos that the last time he inter-
viewed Tataat Pashn the latter was
more skeptical regarding President
wilson's Motley