Republican farmer., 1918-10-25
A CLUMSY REPLY

XXT HETHER OR the German reply suffers in ransa w ton, it is from every standpoint from form and substance clumsy document The form perhaps be due to inferior ransaion the defective substance must come from failure, unwllngness to appreciate the force of the American note
 Tn it's larger aspect the reply concaory represents effort assumed effort to meet Allied demands but fails to do so in at least two material respects.
 Paragraph of the reply employs this language
 1n accepting the proposal for the evacuation of oc
 cuped territories the German government started from
 assumption that the procedure for this evacuation
 and conditions of the armistice should be left the
 judgment of the military advisers and that the actual
 standard of power which both sides in the field have
 should form the basis of arrangements safeguarding
 and guaranteeing this standard.
 The government recedes from it's position that the terms of evacuation should be arranged by fixed commission accepts the proposition of President Wilson, that such would have be arranged by the respective military ad visers
 The further assumption Allies contemplate an armisice by which the military status will exist during the period of rest precisely it stood at the beginning of the armisice is entirely unwarranted
 There certainly nothing in the American note which rants belief that Wilson intended intends, that the actual standard of power which both sides in the field have should form the basis of arrangements safeguarding and aneeing this standard.'
 This characerstcaly loose construction, in which the general phrase standard of power' is employed instead of such phrase standard of forces actually under arms, other language that would have definite and precise meaning.
 If the language were actual standard of power which sides the fed would approach clear defntion for power both sides in the fed would be measured by the forces under arms and actually employed.
 The power which both sides in the field have, could readily be construed the total amount of of all kinds economic industrial military and naval the of all species power controlled either side So obscure condition would surely open the way to indefinite discussion.
 But the American policy of unconditional surrender, it's equivalent does not take account of agreements by which there will be guaranteed to Germany standard of power either military economic which to exist unmpared during dscussion just stands at the opening of discussion
 The Allies, with their resources not likely adding nowhere, the enemy recuperaes forces which nothing be added but troops from Russia if time granted in which to find them
 Neither the proposal to instruct submarn to sink passenger ships meeting of the conditions of the American note which peremptory suggested the entire withdrawal submarines from every sphere of operations against Allied ships
 The German denial of cru6les and atrocities is unmport- an except it is equal agreement not to do the things again.
 Whether not such changes in the form gov ernment exist will in the minds of the president responsible government with which the deal only the president know Assuming that the German Chance Tor speaks truly very considerable changes the German tenn have been made.
 The note describes what may be typical parliamentary sort of European government in fomaon but the language used is obscure and affords view of \ tual situation.
 The ordinary process of developing responsible paria gmenary government would be the election representatives by equal franchise From this representa- tive body would proceed the great officers government including the prime minister, premier chancellor The government could exist only while enjoyed the confidence
 
 "A government has been formed in accordance with the wishes of the representatives of the people, based upon equal universal secret and direct suffrage"
 parliamentary government of popular origin begins with the election of representatives by the sufrages people It does not begin with he wshes of the representatives the people It is one thing the representatives the peoples by free ballot It is quiet another thing form government based on wishes of representatives.
 The chancellor apparently continues to his author iy from the monarch and his responsibility to the men merely contemplated It needs something more than pending bill to make the Kaisers chief minister responsible the people of Germany.
 The German reply seems unlikely to make a favorable i'm preson the mind of the president candor has beer net with clumsy equivOcal, and false response.