The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-22
GERMANS LAY ALL
Of PEACE BURDEN
ON UNITED STATES
HUN CABINET DECLARES TREATY
WILL DESTROY AND DiSiiONOR
COUNTRY FOREVER
DECLINE TO SIGN TERMS
Teulons Interpret Note of Secy. Ian
sing aud Speech Of Wilson to SUIT
the Claims of Nation That Once de-
fled the World Ia Later beg for
Leniency.

Berlin, Tuesday. May 2o.-"Germany.
declines to sign the peace terms laid
before it because they spell the emo
nomic destruction. political dishonol
and normal degradation of the entire
German nation. not only for the pres
ent but also for still unborn genera
tions," was IA statement authorized by
the cabinet this morning through the
Associated Press.
That these consequences must loSi'
cally follow acceptance of the peace
conditions the American press Itself mas
recognized without question, the state
ment continues. Toward them Germany
took the standpoint that acceptance
OF such conditions could not be demand
ed and that the entente was unjustiiied
in imposing such demands
Germany has not only a moral
right to compliance with the general
promises made it,. but a firmly ground
ed. definite. clearly defined claim, ac'
cordng to the basic rules of interna-
tional law, on all The entente powers
and especially on the United states.
4 specific recognition of the right Of
Germany and of the German peoples
to n peace of right, justice and recon
ciliation, instead of the Photographed
song of hate which was written at Yer
sailles, is contained in the note of the
American secretary of state. Lansing,
of Nov 3, 1918.
In it the secretary of state notified
the Swiss minister in Washington un-
conditionally that the established basis
of President Wilson's fourteen points
should be authoritative for the peace
conditions.
Secretary Lansing announced fur-
ther that the entente governments al
ter careful consideration also were
prepared to recognize the conditions set
up by President Wilson as the basis
for the conclusion of peace.
Germany's Sole Asset
"The declaration of rights cmanating
from thees specific declarations of all
the entente powers and the United
States constitutes Germany's sole asset
in the general normay breakdown OF
all international politics which has found
unsurpassable expression in the Yer
SailleS terms.
Germany answers them with its
clearly juristic right in international
law. Toward the politicio-moral bank
ruptcy of Versailles, the German no
ton stands as Il creditor with undenia-
BILE rights and it is not in position
TO yield on this chief point. Germany
concluded peace on the basis of Presi-
dent Wilson's fourteen points which
America had made its own, and all
nerica, every individual, is RESPONSE
. e for the fulfillment of its claims.
1T is not the German peoples busi-
ness to indicate how its rights shall
be realized by the fourteen points OF
especially by the note Of Secretary Ian
sing. That. rather, is the task OF
those who constructed the fourteen
points and brought them to acceptance,
thereby inducing Germany to lay down
her weapons. We do not believe that
President Wilson, Secretary Lansing
and the American people can take other
than this German standpoint, if they
do not wish to do that which President
Wilson in his message of December 4,
1917 condemned categorically when he
said:
1--WE would dishonor our own cause
if we treated Germany any other than
justly and in a non-partisan manner,
and did not insist upon justice toward
all, no matter how the war ended. We
demand nothing which we are not ready
ourselves to admit.
And the German people demand
nothing more tnan that which President
Wilson announced in this declaration
We demand nothing more than that
Americans place the fourteen points op
poste the peace terms. We do not be
lieVe that any one in the United States
will then have the courage to claim that
there can be found in the peace condi'
tions one single trace left of President
Wilson'S program.
And here begins Americas definite
duty to step in. America either must
put it's fourteen points through or II
must declare that it is unable to do so
or that it does not want TO do so, so
that in no case may the world be led
10 believe that America desires to have
the peace conditions count as President
Wilson'S fourteen points.
"That is our demand, to which we
cling, and we cannot imagine what argu
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