The Benson signal., 1918-10-19
WILSON'S REPLY
T0CERMANPLEA
FOR ARMISTIeE
Western New; paper Union News Service

Western New paper Union News Service.
Washington, Get. 15.--1te text OF
President Wilson's rcply to Germany,
delivered to the charge of the Swiss
legation, follows:
I'm reply to tie communication
Of the German government dated tn
18TH inst. which you handed me today,
have the honor to request you to
tr;~nGmit the following answer:
THE unqualified acceptance by the
pres ent German government ana bV
large majority OF the reichstag Of the
| terms laid down by the President OF
the United States OF America in his adj
dress to the Congress OF the United
States on Jan. s, 1918, and in his sub
,quent addresses juctifies the Presi-
dent in making a frank and direct
statement of his decision with regard
to The communications of the German
government of Oct 8 ana II, 1918.
1T must be clearly understood that
the process of evacuation and the
| conditions of an armistice are matters
which must be left to the judgment
and advice of the military advisers of
| the government of the United States
and the allied governments, and the
President feels it his duty to say that
no arrangement can be accepted by
the government Of the United Sta
which does not provide absolutely sat
| isfactory safeguards and guarantee
of the maintenance of the present mil
| itary supremacy of the armies of
United States and the allies in the
| field.
HE feels confident that he can safe
| ly assume that this will also be the
! Judgment and decision of the allied
| governments.
"The President feels that it is also
his duty to add that neither the gov
eminent of the United States, nor, he
| is quite sure, the governments with
which the government Of the United
States is associated as belligerent
| will consent to consider an armistlce
so long as the armed forces Of Ger
| many continue the illegal and lnhu-
name practices which they still persist
In.
lat the very time that the German
| government approaches the govern
ment of the United States with propos-
| ais of peace it's submarines are en-
gagged in sinking passenger ships at sea
| and not the ships alone, but the very
| boats in which their passengers and
crews seek to make their way to safe
| ty: and in their present enforced with
| draWal from Flanders and France the
German armies are pursuing course
of wanton destruction which has al
ways been regarded as in direct VIC
lation of the rules and practices OF
civilized warfare Cities and villages,
if not destroyed, are being stripped OF
all they contain not only, but often OF
their very inhabitants. The nations
assc ciated against Germany cannot be
expected to agree to cessation OF
arms while acts of inhumanity, spolia-
ton and desolation are being contin-
ued which they justly look upon with
horror and with burning hearts.
ut is necessary, also, in order that
there may be no possibility of misun-
derstanding, that the President should
very solemnly call the attention of the
government of Germany to the Ian
guage and plain intent of ore of the
terms of peace which the German gov
eminent has now accepted 1t is con-
tanned in the address &f the President
delivered at Mount Vernon on the
Fourth of July last.
ut is as follows: The destruction
of every arbitrary power anywhere
that can separately, secretly and of its
single choice disturb the peace of the
world; or, If it cannot be presently de-
stroyed, at least it's reduction to vir-
tual impotency.'
"The power which has hitherto con-
trolled the German nation is Of the
sort here described. 1t is within the
choice of the German nation to alter
it. The Presidents words just quoted
naturally constitute a condition prece-
dent to peace, if peace is to come by
the action of the German people them
selves The President feels bound to
say that the whole process of peace
will, in his judgment, depend upon the
definiteness and the satisfactory char
acter of the guarantees which can be
given in this fundamental matter. It
is indispensable that the governments
associated against Germany should
know beyond a peradventure with
whom they are dealing.
"The President will make a separate
reply to the royal and imperial gov
eminent of stria-Hungary
Accept, sir, the renewed assur-
ances of my high consideration.
(Signed) ROBERT LANSING.'
More Deaths from "Fiu" in Denver.
Denver, Oct. Is. - Twenty-seven
deaths, making total of seventy
eight and 1914 new cases, making a to-