The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-01
WORD FROM HUNS
"OSficiaI" Statement Is Made as
to Peace Treaty.
4
Count Won BernstOrff Says
What Would Be Right.
BASED ON WILSON PLAN
Talks Largely of Fourteenth
Point as Set Forth.
Arc With Wilson on Points
One, Two and Three.

+ Berlin, Jan. 31.-Count Won Bern |
sstorif has given the Associated Press
a statement written by him after a
consultation with Foreign Minister
.Rrockdorff- Rantzau and other high
officials of the German foreign office.
In view of TIE fact that Count Won
Bernstoref is one of the men entrusted
with the working out of the details for
lGermany's participation in the peace
conference and will. with the foreign
minister. be q German delegate. the
sta tcment may be regarded as official.
Il was written in English as follows:
The question. what would Germany
consider a peace of right and justice,
may briefly be answered in this way:
That we would regard as such a
settlement, by which the terms of
peace laid down in President Wilson's
address to congress, January 8, 1918,
and the principles of settlement in his
subsequent addresses, are carried out
in true accordance with the high
minded and far seeing spirit in which
they were conceived.
Among the ii points the dominat-
ing note in our opinion, is to be at
stributed to point number fourteen,
providing for the constitution of a
league of nations which as Mr.. Wilson
said on September 81, must be part
and in a sense the most essential part
of the peace settlement itself"
German League society.
AS the great success of the recently
founded German league of nation So
ciety proves, German leading men
clearly recognize that nothing but an
international league of free and equal
peoples can do away with Imperialism
and bring forth a new world of order.
The. German people feel that given
such league and compulsory arbitra-
ton peace negotiations would offer no
particular difficulties while without its
constitution in the peace settlement a
peace of right and justice will be well
nigh impossible.
with regard to the first, second
and third points in Mr.. Wilson's pro-
gram we are in perfect accord with
him. In connection with point num-
Der four it may be mentioned that
Germany is about to abolish obligatory
military service, which thus far has
been considered the cornerstone of her
exposed position in Europe. AS for
point number five we welcomes:
AS to Colonial Claims.
Free, open minded and absolute
ly impartial adjustment of all colonial
claims proposed by Mr.. Wilson and
accepted by the entente governments
and we are looking forward to dis
cusslon of those claims in the peace
conference in the spirit outlined by
the American president
Regarding point number six we are
completely disinterested concerning all
questions relative to Russia except in
sofar as they concern our own from
tier. Naturally. however, we do not
desire a spread of BolsheVism over
Germany and other countries.
LAS for point number seven, we are
prepared to pay for all damage done
tn the Belgian civil population and
their property as far as will be proven
to have been perpetrated by German
aggression. The same applies to point
number eight, relative to damage done
civilians and their property in north
ern France. AS for Alsace-Lorraine,
we could not consider it Fighting
wrong if thru the peace settlement
a new wrong should be permitted.
That, however, would be the case if
the Germans were compelled to be-
come French against their will. Like
wise, it must be emphasized in con-
nection- with point number nine that
Justice would forbid forcing Germans
to become Italian subjects without
their free consent.
Wants More Territory.
Point number ten, treating on the
question of Austria-Bungary has been
subsequently enlarged by the Ameri-
can government in the sense that the
Slav nationalities of the former dual
monarchy must be granted not only
autonomy by absolute self determina-
tion. Justice will demand that the
same privilege be accorded to Aus
tr1an-GermanS. In the same manner
we consider points eleven and twelve
merely the demand of justice that
various peoples of the Balkan PENN
sula and the Ottoman empire should
be given their rights without distinc-
tion and the freest opportunity for
self determination.
LAS regards point thirteen, justice
cempels us to consent that present
German territories inhabited by in
disputably Polish peoples should form
a part of the new Poland, but justice
likewise compels us not to tolerate
that territories be placed under foreign
sovereignty which are inhabited by in
disputably German population. MOI e.
over, we would consider it a wrong
of the gravest character if to satisfy
Polish ambitions, East Prussia should
be cut off from the rest of the en-
pire.
Uses Wilson's Point Again.
concerning all territorial changes
to be considered by the peace confer
ence, we absolutely rely on point num-
Der two of Mr.. Wilson's address at
Mt Vernon in which he emphasized
the fact that settlement of all such
questions must be made upon a basis
sffree acceptances of settlement by the
4 tot FOL