Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-02-03
ALLIES DON'T
DESIRE PEACE
SAYS TROTSkY
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW De
CLARES THEIR AIM NOW IS TO
CRUSH GERMANY.
BY JOSEPH SHAPLEN,
United Press Correspondent.

Copyrighted, 1918, by The United
Press)
PETROGRAD, Jan. 2S.-DelayeD
Foreign Minister Leon Trotsky today
replies to the war aim declarations
of President Wilson and Premier Lloyd
George through the United Press.
"Academically speaking, President
Wilson's latest peace formula seeks
to emet ours" declared the foreign
minister, in an interview in his Of
fee at Smolny Institute. But If APP
plieS, in realty, it practically would
result similarly to the German diplo-
macy.
''The central empires also original
1y accepted our formula in their de-
claration of December 25 whereafter
in applying it practically, it resolved
itself into an annexationist imperalis-
tic demand under the cover of a demo
cratic peace formula.
COR, in other words, President Will
son accepts in principle, the right of
self determination, but refuses to go
as far as the right Of all subject ma,
tion&.--:c5 everywhere to self determi-
nation, not excluding complete in
dependence if desired
ManifestIy, President Wilson ad-
dressed himself primarily to Austria,
Hungary. He is willing to concede
autonomy to the nationalities within
the dual monarchy, but not their in
dependence, thus hoping to divorce
the dual monarchy from the central
alliance
MIR. Wilson's latest formula was
actuated primarily by the important
fact that America does not seek terri
torial aggrandizement, but is strength
ening preparation for her own inn
perialism.
"The problem of the American mid
die class is to obtain the weakening of
both imperialistic sides in the Euro
pean conflict in order to make Ameri-
can capitalism the heir of European
capitalism That is why the praise
bestowed upon us by Mr.. Wilson,
when only two weeks before the
American and entente press called us
German agents, has not called out
from our side the enthusiastic re-
sporse expected
"At any rate, we believe if Mr.. Will
son and Mr.. Lloyd George really
sought a quick peace through their
latest formulas, they should have
shown it by consenting to join in gen
eral peace negotiations.
only by such participation could
they have knocked out of the hands of
the German government the main
weapon by which it maintains internal
discipline.
THE refusal of the entente to join
in negotiations, enabled the German
government to show its workmen that
America, France and England desire
Germany, and therefore Germany must
fight to the end
''On the other hand, the participa-
ton of all the warning lands in the
negotiations would have created
such a peace sentiment among the
neoples that it would have made i'm
possible a renewal of the war after
the long welcomed armistice and would
have forced negotiated, democratic
peace.
"Any attempt to renew the war af-
Ter negotiations would undoubtedly re-
sult in the overthrow of all the gov
ernments. That is why the netente
fought shy of their invitation to join
the general peace negotiations. They
hone still to crush the central en-
pires and they do not desire to sacri-
fee their own imperalistic ambitions"
AT this point I asked: "But isn't
President Wilson's latest formula, de-
spite the refusal to join in general
negotiations, step forward?'
"Inasmuch as the other warning
countries refused to poin in general
neace negotiations, their formulas have
ne real value and are mere scraps of
paper" replied Trotsky. "They may
he reduced practically to the fact that
their attitude gives the. German inn
neriaIist carte blanc to satisfy their
appetites at Russias expense and then
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