Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-22
sEeelNe For PEACE.

sEeelNe For PEACE.
The German government will get no.
where with the requests contained in
its third note to President Wilson, bur
the fact that the German government
pleads for peace a third time and even
claims to have complied with wilson's
severe conditions must be read as an
other step toward surrender. 1t is an
admission for the third time on the
part Of the German government that
| 1t wants peace on the best terms il
can get This last note now puts it up
to President Wilson to send the corre-
spondence to the supreme war council
Of our allies and the entente should
tell Germany, first on what terms she
can have an ayTnistiee and later on
what terms there shall be peace. 1t
should be obvious that the terms of the
armistice will leave the entente in full
possession Of the power to enforce its
later terms az to peace, hence when
Germany accepts the terms for an
armistice the war will be over.
Whether Germany is ready now to
accept terms which will amount to
surrender nobody but the kaiser knows
but the kaiser's government has been
pleading as one begging for mercy
more than as ono asserting boldly
what he will and will not do. The only
question Of doubt is as to whether the
German government is sincere when it
shouts "kamerad" or does 1t plan to
throw few more grenades.
Wilson notified Germany that an
armistice must provide for the main
tenance of the present military su-
premacy Of the armies which are fight
ing Germany and the German govern
ment comes back with an Acknowledge
ment that they expected this but that
they want maintenance of the pres
ent military situation or mainte-
nance Of the actual standard Of DOW
er" on both sides. The qualification is
all bunk, Of course, because the Ger
man army il on the run and Germany
knows it, in fact the, German govern
ment admits that they must take what
they can get when they plead that the
president Of tho United States ought
not to approve Of demands incompat-
ible with the honor Of the German peo-
pie. Grand talk but nowhere is there
an assertion that the German govern
ment will not accept terms that will be
humiliating to it.
Denial Of atrocities. too, will get no.
where with our entente governments
which have full knowledge that afro
cities have been committed. The Ger
man government may hope to camou-
flage itself at home but not among its
enemies who have seen these atrocities
committed. The fact that Il has or
dered the sinking Of passenger ships to
cease is evidence that the German gov
eminent is trying to do something to
induce its victors to offer peace.
The alleged re- formation OF the Ger
man government may or may not be
genuine. At present it u under sus.
picion. 1t it is being forced by an en-
ragged people at home it can develop
into genuine reform. II it ia set up by
the kaiser crowd in order to comply
with Wilson's terms IL can be jerked
down again at will but il the suprem-
acy Of the military forces Of the en-
tente is maintained in the armistice
the reform Of the German government
can be attended to in the peace con-
ference which may last for many
months after hostilities actually cease
The correspondence ought to end
now until the supreme war council Of
the entente allies has proposed terms
upon which Germany can have an
armistice. Then Germany can have
peace by acceptance or more war by
rejection.