The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-06-05
Germans Hand in Their Counter
Proposals for Peace to
Council of Four.
WANT TO RETAIN COLONIES
Make Many Other Demands to Which
Allies Will Not Yield-Adriatic Cues
ton Settled, Fiume Becoming In
dependent City-Western Can
ada Strike Spreads.
By EDWARD w. PicKARD.

The Germans have handed In their
contemporaries printed pages
of them-with the evident and pre-
sumably justified feeling that they
won't do Germany any particular good.
If the replies of the allies to Brock
orff-Rantzau's preliminary notes fur
nish any basis for prediction, 1t Is safe
to say that this bunch of counter-pro-
posals will in the main be turned down
fiat by the council of four.
AS was easily foreseen. the Germans
predicate their propositions largely on
the fourteen points and on various
idealistic utterances of President VIII
son and others, and quotations from
these are used literally. The ideas
of territorial self-determination ana
opportunities for economic develop
ment are played upon strongly, ana
the peace terms prepared by the al
lies are declared to be In contradiction
10 a lust peace and dominated by the
"might greater than right" principle.
Germany refuses absolutely to cede
Upper Silesia. and declines to give up
the Saar basin, Posen and other terri
tory unless plebiscite Is held. Dan
zig. she says, must be free port ana
must not be in any way controlled Dv
the Poles, but 1t Is agreed that the
VistuIa river may be neutralized as
far as the Polish border. She agrees
TO surrender her warships and to dis
80 hnr
mands merchant shipping in exchange
saving this Is necessary to her com
mercial life. She accepts the limita-
ton of the army TO 100000 men, pu'
wants more than that for the present
to maintain order. She offers 10 pa!
an indemnity of $4,000, 100000 in gold
by 1926 and to make annual payments
thereafter up to a total of S25,OOo.ooo'
600. but puts in counter-claim OF
about S3.3OO,OO0OO0 for damages from
the allied blockade.
The Germans refuse to admit tha'
Germany Is alone to blame for the wal
and its damage, and take slap a.
Italy and Roumania, which, they as
sert. entered the conflict for terrific
rial conquest. AS for personal respon
sibility, they declare they will not sur
render the former kaiser and Others
for trial by the allies, asserting they
can be tried only by Germans or neu
trails.
Return Of Germany's colonies is de
manded, though II is agreed that Ger
many might he willingg 10 act as man
datory for them under the league o
nations, and the right OF Germany u
enter the league at once on an equal
ity with other nations is asserted. Al
occupied territories. say the counter
PROPOSALS. must he evacuated withi
six months. In claiming the return o
the colonies the Germans call after
lion to the fact that an impartial sci
element of all colonial claims wa
promised in number five of the -four
teen points. This reads;
"Free. open-minded. and absolutel
impartial adjustment OF all coioni'
claims. based upon strict observan'
Of the principle that in determining a
such questions Of sovereignty the u
terests of the population concerne
must have equal weight with the eq'
table claims of the government who's
titlo IS to he determined"
Since Germanys administration
her colonial possessions, especial
those in Africa, was VIGOROUSLY o
nressive 10 the natives, it is hal
IN soc how she can gain much by Q
appeal to an agreement that the int
ests Of the people concerned shall
given full weight.
Germany's claim for damages due
the blockade 10 based on the alleg'