The state herald., 1919-05-30
COUNT DECLARES HE WILL NOT
PUT NAME TO DEATH GEN.
TENcE OF GERMANY.
WOULD DISCARD ARMY
HOPED PEACE TREATY WOULD
BE MORE THAN SCRAP OF
PAPER.
Western Nswspap.r unlon Nsws Service.

Western Nswspapsr unlon 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 1t was 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 II they signed cOndi-
tions which sIgnified only perpetual
famine and unemployment"
SHOULD !, under pressure from our
own mlsled countrymen, sign this sen.
tence of death2" asked Count Won
Brockdorff- -Rantzau.
Questioned as to whether he feared
that the demonstrations of the inde-
pendent Socialists would be success
ful, he said they would be unsuccess-
full In the sense Of moving him to aban-
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. 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 d.
clare In favor Of military disarma.
ment, saying that Germany II ready
to reduce her forces to $4,000 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.
II will be declared that in spite Of
Internal disorders and the necessity
for defending her frontiers, Germany
thus agrees to dlsarm ahead OF all
other powers.
Paris.-The French government has
received from the German peace dele.
gation the assurance that II will ask
no further extension Of time for con.
alteration Of the peace terms.
One Of the notes sent to the sec.
rctariat 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 thai
the decisions Of tie allied govern.
ments in deciding upon the fate Of the
property could not be accepted.
The German pence delegation sent
three new notes to the secretariat Of
the peace conference. The notes deal
respectively with reparations and 70.
sponsibility; German property In al.
lied countries, and German religious
missions abroad.