The Benson signal., 1919-05-31
COUNT DECLARES HE WILL NOT
PUT. NAME TO DEATH SEN
TENCE OF GERMANY.
WOULD DISCARD ARMY
HOPED PEACE TREATY WOULD
BE MoRETHAN SCRAP OF
PAPER.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Berlin, May 27.-Count Won Brock
dorff- Rantzau, in an interview, said he
went to Versailles, with the firm In
tention of defending what remained
for the welfare and happiness of the
German people, but that even this rem
nant. had been destroyed by the peace
treaty.
The count said it wars a question,
therefore, whether-it could not be- bet
ter saved by refusing to sign than by
submitting, as was desired by the in
dependent Socialists.
The chairman of the German dele
CATION said he certainly would fight
to the last in order to try to improve,
the lot of the working people. by nego-
tiation, but that: the delegates would
be SHINING against the interests Of the
working people if they signed, condi-
tions which signified only perpetual
famine and unemployment"
"Should I, under pressure from our
own misled countrymen,. sign this SEN
tence of death?" asked Count Won
Brockdorff- -Rantzau. =
Questioned as to; whether he feared
that the demonstrations of the inde-
pendent Socialists would be success
full, he said they would be unSucceSS-
full in the sense of moving him to. abaIa-
don his resolve not to sign what he
believed would be tantamount to the
destruction of the nation.
Referring to Herr Haase's statement
that peace must be signed and that
the coming revolution would make it
a scrap of paper, he said:
"When I came to Versailles I had
the firm hope that the time of scraps
of paper had finally passed and that
a new age would begin in which only
treaties would be signed which would
be respected by both Sides. I have
not abandoned the hope of obtaining
healthy international morality. A mere
scrap of paper will never bear my
signature"
Information has been received from
an unimpeachable source that the
counter proposals to be made by Ger
many to the peace conference will de-
clare in favor of military disarma-
ment, saying that Germany is ready
to reduce her forces to 35OOOO within
two months after the conclusion of
peace and by the expiration of an
other year to cut the size of the army
down to 100000 men.
1t will be declared that in spite of
internal disorders and the necessity
for defending her frontiers, Germany
thus agrees to disarm ahead of all
other powers.
Paris.-The French government has
received from the German peace dele
cation the assurance that it will ask
no further extension of time for con-
sideratiOn of the peace terms.
One of the notes sent to the Sec
retariat of the peace conference by the
German delegates, a semi-official Ger
man dispatch from Spa says, demand
ed the convOcation of a conference Of
labor leaders to decide upon interna-
| tiOnal labor legislation. The other
note, which related to German prop
erty in allied countries, declared that
the decisions of the allied govern
ments in deciding upon the fate of the
property could not be accepted.
The German peace delegation sent
three new notes to the secretariat Of
the peace conference. The notes deal
respt lively with reparations and re-
sponsibility; German property in al
lied countries, and German religious
missions abroad.