The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-10-26
ALLIED NATIONS
MUST BACK FOCH
IN HIS DEMANDS
General May Impose Drastic
Terms on Enemy
BY Frank H. Simonds

NEW YORK, Oc.. 2o-Wilh the dis
patch oi the presidents response Ia The
third German note, we enter new phase
Of the discussion Hitherto the qucs
ton has been solely one OF whelhcr the
president would transmit the German
application for an armistlce This the
president has now consented TO do, after
a considerable debate Rut the debate
had no other bearing than its relation
to the question OF the forwarding OF the
application.
II is now for our allie, 10 decide, first
whether they will consent at this tlme
to any armifice They have the right
to refuse Just as the president had the
right TO decline TO transmit the German
application. They hay, the right to
impose certain further preliminary con
dtlous before taking mp the question OF
conditions OF an arml,tlcc, Just as the
president demanded certain assurances
before he transmitted the application.
But IT our allies are willing to grant
an armlStlce at this time, then It is the
business OF Marshal EoCh, with the
commanders of the British. French,
Italian and American armies, 10 fix the
terms of such an armi,tIcc. No discus
sion ot peace terms enter into the rcCk-
on'ng In substance, the civil govern
mcnts OF the nation at war will ask OF
Foyh what conditions are necessary
TO guarantee the preservation Of the ad-
vantages which YOU now possess, as the
result OF the victorious campaign, which
you have carried on since July l9-'
Two Danger Points
Two dangers IN the various discus
sons past and 20 come are quite OBJ
Wous-the one would flow from the
assumption that this is our private war
and that We have assumed and acquired
any exclusive rights 10 speak for the
alliance against Germany The other
would come from the confusion Of peace
terms with the conditions Of IN ar
mistiCe
As TO the first II is perfectly plain
that the nations which have been tight
ing this war for more than four years
are entitled to fix the conditions OF
future peace. which are consonant with
their rights their interests and their
sacrifices As 10 the second, il is clear
that the position OF Germany is the po-
,ition OF a criminal who has submitted
herself 10 the law and asked for release
on bail, pending trial We must, then,
first decide II II he safe 10 permit bail,
and second. what is the proper security
10 take against the appearance ot the
CRIMINAL on trial.
SO much is at stake that we are all
Of Us apprehensive and Justly appre-
/ hcnSiyc What We all fear Is that in
some fashion the German will be able ~
set mp friction between the various all
lies, undermine their home fronts, eS-
cape from the conditions which are nee
eSsary to make peace hereafter possible
We arc more apprehcnsiye because Ger
many has never failed TO use words
dishonesty when dealing with all gov
ernrentS and particularly with the
American government We have no
guarantee now that we did not possess
nm the past. save only the weakening
condition OF Germanys military estah-
lishment We shall not trust Germany
until she has laid down her arms 10 do
this would he impossible, in view OF
her past history, recent aud remote
On the other hand, the really critical
phase rs ndw TO com, II Marshal Foch
is permitted unhampercd, TO fix the
terms oi an armisticc, It there IS no
political interference with him, and he
is able. with a view solely to preserving
the military situation to decide what he
must have, it the civil governments ot
the allied nations back him up, not
merely in the formulation OF the con
dIt'onS, but in the insStence upon them
after formulated, ali will vet he well.
Must Back up Foch.
But il Marshal foch demands, as he
certainly will, not merely StraSSburg
and Metz, but Coblenz and Mainz, ii he
demands as he well may, the surrender
OF the German armies now in France
and Belgium, alleging that, II the war
continues he will be able shortly " cap
ture or destroy these armies, which
would escape, u they were permitted 20
retire under the terms Of an armstice
| II Foch demands a substantial surren.
der OF Germany a military surrender,
. It Is a matter OF life and death for all
governments TO support those demands
once they have been formulated.
| When the Foch conditions have been
served upon Germany, nothing Is more
certain than that there will he an in
Stant protest made to President Wilson
and designed to manever the president
into a position, indicating disapproval
OF the Foch conditions The very men,
who have been responsible for all the