River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-06-05
German Note Declares condi-
tons Are More Than People
Can Carry Out.
SOVEREIGNTY IS GONE
Enemy Insists That Teuton Power
Shall Be Admitted Forthwith as
State With Equal Rights Into
League of Nations.

dressed to Premier Clemenceau, was
made public by the State department
as follows:
s'Mr. President
II have the honor to transmit to you
herewith the observations of the Ger
man delegation on the draft treaty of
peace. We came to Versailles in the
expectation of receiving a peace pro-
posal based on the agreed principles.
We were firmly resolved to do every
thing in our power with a view of full
filling the grave obligations which we
had undertaken. We hoped for the
peace Of justice which had been prom
ised to us. We were aghast when we
read in documents the demands made
opon US. The more deeply we pene-
trate into the spirit of this treaty, the
more convinced we become of the i'm
possibility of carrying it out. The
executions of this treaty are more
than the German people can bear.
Territory Renowned, Claim.
with view to the re-establish-
ment of the Polish state we must re-
nounce indisputably German territory,
nearly the whole Of the province Of
West Prussia, which is preponderantly
German, of Pomerania, Danzig, which
is German to the core, we must let
that ancient JAMESTOWN be transform
ed into free state under Polish suze-
rainty. We must agree that East
Prussia shall be amputated from the
body of the state, condemned to linn
gering death, and robbed of it's north
ern portion, including Mcneil, which
is purely German. We must renounce
upper Silesia for the benefit of Poland
and Czecho-Slovakia, although it has
been in close political connection with
Germany for more than $50 years, is
instinct with German life and forms
the very foundation of Industrial life
throughout East Germany.
Preponderantly German circles
Kreise must be coded to Belgium with
out sufficient guarantees that the pleb-
iscite which is only to take place after
wards, will be independent. The pure
ly German district of the Saar must
be detached from our empire and the
way must be paved for it's subsequent
annexation to France, although we
owe her debts in coal only, not in men.
Occupation of Rhine Territory.
"For Is years Rheinish territory
must be occupied, and after those Is
years the Allies have the power to re-
fuse the restoration of that country;
in the interval the Allies can take
every measure to sever the economic
and moral links with the mother coun-
try and finally to misrepresent the
wishes of the indigenous population.
Although the exaction Of the cost
of the war has been expressly re-
nounced, as yet Germany, thus cut in
pieces and weakened, must declare
herself ready in principle to bear all
the war expenses Of her enemies,
which would exceed many times over
the total amount of German state and
private assets. Meanwhile her enc
mics demand in excess of the agreed
conditions reparation for damage suf-
fered by their civil population and in
the connection Germany must also go
bail for her Allies. The sum to be
paid is to be fixed by our enemies
unilaterally and to admit Of subse-
quent modification and increase. No
limit is fixed save the capacity of the
German people for payment, deter
mined not by their standard Of life,
but solely by their capacity to meet
the demands of their enemies by their
labor. The German people would thus
be condemned to perpetual slave labor.
Surrender of Merchant Fleet.
"In spite of the exorbitant demands,
the reconstruction of our economic life
is at the same time rendered impossi-
BILE. We must surrender our merchant
fleet.
1--WE are to renounce all foreign
securities. We are to hand over to
our enemies our property in all Ger
man enterprises abroad, even in the
countries of our Allies. Even after
the conclusion Of peace the enemy
states are to have the right of con-
fiscating all German property. No
be protected from these war measures.
We must completely renounce our
colonies, and not even German mis-
sionaries shall have the right to follow
their calling. We must thus renounce
the realization of all our aims in the
spheres of politics, economics and
ideas.
"Even in internal affairs we are to
give up the right to self-determination
The international reparation commits
sion receives dictatorial' powers over
the whole life of our people in eco
nomic and cultural matters. It's
authority extends far beyond that
which the empire, the German federal
council and the Reichstag combined
ever possessed within the territory OF
the empire. This commission has un-
limited control over the economic life
of the state, of communities and Of
individuals. Further, the entire edu-
cational and sanitary system depends
on it. 1t can keep the whole German
people in mental thraldom. In order
to increase the payments due by the