The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-02-01
LEAGUE KEY TO
ENDURING PEACE,
GERMANS THINK
Huns for Wilson Policy Won
BernStOhf Says,

BERLIN. Jln " Count Won
Befnstofii has given The Associated
Press a statement written by him A.
Ter his consultation with Foreign
Minister Bfotkdofl Ranly1u and
other high officials ~ the Gcfmiu
foreign office In view OF the fact
that Count Won Befndorii is one 0i
the men entrusted with the working
90, oi the details for Gcfmany's par
ilc'paiion m the peace conference and
will. with the foreign minister, he a
German delegate. ile statement may
he regarded as official i, was writ
Ten IN English as follows:
"The question what would Ger
many consider a peace OF right an
Justice may briefly be answered ~
this way: That We would regard aS
such. a settlement, by which the term
oi peace laid down m Presiden, VII
sons address 20 congress Jan. =
1918. and the principles of settlement
~ hrs 'uh.caucnt addresses. are car
ried or, IN true accordance with the
hlgh-mlnded and lif.Srcing spirit in
which they were conceived
League Key TO Peace.
Among the fourteen points the
dominating note. 90 our opinion. is 10
he attributed TO point number four.
teen. providing for the constitution oi
league of nations which as Mr.
Wilson said on September q. Must
he part and in sense the most es-
seniial part OF the peace se,tlemen,
ITSELF
AS the great success Of the recent
" founded German league OF nations
society proves. German leading men
clearly recognize that nothing but an
international league Of free and equal
peoples can do away with imperial.
ism and bring forth new world Of
order The German people feel that.
gwen such a league and compulsory
admiration peace negotiations would
Otter no particular difficulties, while
wlrhoy rs constitution in the peace
settlement 4 peace Of right and JUS
tice will be we'll nigh impossible
Abolish Service Law.
With regard 10 the first. second
and third points in Mr.. Wilson's pro-
gram. we are IN perfect accord with
him In connection with point No
! u may be mentioned that Germany
is about TO abolish obligatory military
service. which thus far has been con-
sllcfed the cornerstone oi her ex-
posed nos.'.on in Europe As Tor
point No We welcome Free. open
minded and absolutely impartial ad. |
Iu'tmcu' ut all colonial claims pro-
posct by Mr. Wilson and accepted !
by the entente governments. and we
ate looking forward TO a discussion
OF these claims by the peace conIer-I
ence IN the spirit outlined by t'e
American president.
Regarding 'olnt No 8 We are
completely diSlntereStcd concerning !
all questions relative to RuSn, eS
cept insofar rs they concern our !
own frontier. Naturally. however, we |
DO not desire a spread oi bolshevism
over Germany and other countries.
Prepared TO Pay Damages.
"As for point No. We are pre-
pared TO pay for all damage done 10
the civil population and their prop
er'y as far as will be proven to have
been petpetratcd by German aggtcS-
sion The same applies to point No.
<, relating 10 damage done civilians I
and their property III northern France.
AS for ASace- Lorraine, we could not
consider 1t 'righting a wrong il
through the peace settlement new
wrong should be permitted. That,
however, would he the case il the
Germans were compelled TO become
French against their will. Likewise.
!. must be emphasized IN connection
with point No. . that justice would
forbid forcing Germans 10 become
italian subjects without their free
consent
The Austrian Situation.
"Poin, No TO- treating ON the
question % Austria Hungary has
been subsequently enlarged by the
American government, IN the sense
that the Slav nationalties OF the for
mer dual monarchy must he grant
cd, not only autonomy hu, absolute
seli-de,crmlnation Justice will de-
mand that the same privilege be ac-
corded to AuStrian-G Germans. In the
same manner We consider points II
and - merely the demand of Justice
tina, various peoples OF the Balkan
peninsula and the Ottoman empire
should be giycnthcir rights without
distinction and the ircest opportunity
for seidetermina,ion
AS regards point H. justice COM
pelS us to consent that present Ger.
man territories inhabited by indis-
pu,ably Polish peoples should form a
part of the new Poland but Justice
likewise compclS MS not 10 tolerate
that territories be placed under for.
eign sovereignty which are inhabited
by indispu,ably German population
Moreover We would consider it a
wrong oi the graycSt character It, 10
satisfy Polish ambitions, east Prussia
should he cut of from the rest of
the empire.
Basis OF "Ftee Acceptance"
Concerning all territorial changes
to be considered hy the peace con.
ference, we absolutely rely on pon,
No : OF Mr Wilson's address at
Mount Vernon, in which he empha-
sized the fact tina, se,,lemen, Of an
such questions must be made upou
: basis OF free acceptance d settle
h,ent by the peoples Immediately
concerned Indeed a peace Of righ,
Ind Justice presupposes that under