The Mena weekly star., 1918-01-03
PEACE OFFER NOT 10 BE CONSIDERED
Must Come From Responsible Ger man Government First, United
 States Says-Demand Proper .. sD a Form. "
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 Washington, Dec.s e9o~If3 Ger~ manS wants peace let irresponsible GeEman9 goyernment,1 holdio up it's hands and say SO. There will Dono let-up in the war or our preparal ] tion for war;
 That is the way official Washing ton meets the renewal of the Ger man peace offer It was answered today after two new developments. These were:
 1. An Amsterdam report that the kaiser has deyolved upon Chan cellor von Hertling the right to make peace.
 ,. Indications from the State De- partment that no peace proposals can be even considered unless they are presented in a formal and re- Sponslble manner.
 The suggestion that the kaiser has delegated the peace-making power is viewed as a 'camouflage.N II is recalled that similar step was taken year ago. At that time just after President Wilson had made his offer of mediation, the kaiser published a letter to Bethmann- Hollweg, then German chancellor, authorizing him to enter peace ne- gotiations. It is believed the pres ent delegation of power will no more fill the allied requirements for responsible or reasonable German government than the letter of a year ago. .
 1t will require complete change in the German constitution" said one allied diplomat here today, ito make peace offer that will be con- sidered. If the kaiser should say to von Hertling, I authorize you to make peace, it would amount to nothing. It would merely mean that the divine powers of Wilhelm had been passed on to his agent.
 If, on the other hand, he would completely abdicate his rights in favor of the chancellor acting on the consent of the Reichstag that would be complete change in the German government and it might lead to consideration. It would mean that the kaiser had recognized that the source of all authority in Ger many was not from itself and from God, but from the German people. That is the only assumption upon which the entente will consider an offer"
 No official consideration will be given to the suggested change, it may be stated authoritatively, until it comes to the United States in proper form. Proper form was to- day described by an official as au- thoritatiye transmission thru the accredited representatives of the Teutons' powers at this or some other allied capital.
 It was clearly indicated at the State Department today that no of flcers thru any Bolshevik agents in Petrograd will get any attention.
 There will be no step taken which possibly can he construed as recog- nizing the Bolshevik government.
 This is the first time such dec- ,laration has come cleanly from the State Department. It was ma6t today when the attention of the De- partment was called to the report that diplomatic courier of the United States had been denied ad- mission to Russia because his pass port had not been vised by the Bol- shevik minister at Stockholm. The courier in question will remain out of Russia, it was stated, if his entry involves anything that might be construed as a recognition of the Bolsheviki.
 Further strengthening of the opinion that Germany is ready for peace, is seen in the accounts of in ternal political struggles which reached here today. The Committee on Public Information made public the wireless transmission from France of an editorial in the Frank furter Zeitung of December 8, which says:
 The German people desire in no sense whatever that the opportunity presented by the favorable situation on the east front should be used for realizing on the west front the vain dreams of the annexationist fanatics of Pen Germanism.'
 At the same time the Pan- German organs condemn the Czerain terms as surrender of everything that Ger man blood and sweat and sacrifice have bought within the last three dreadful years. H ..'3 ssI'.., -s7 MAIL WENT LONG WAY AROUND,