The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-01
GERMANY FOR
NATIONS LEAGUE
According to Statement by
Won Bernstorff, Former
U. S. Ambassador
IN FACT WILSON'S IA
POINTS ACCEPTABLE
Disclaims Any Interest in
Russia Except to Pre-
serve Frontier

Berlin Friday, Jan. 3l.--Count Won
Bernstorf has given the Associated Press
a statement written by him after a con-
sultation with Foreign Minister Brock
dortr Rantzau and other high officials of
the German foreign Office Since the
count is one of the men entrusted with
the working out of the details for Ger
many's participation in the peace confer
ence and will, with the foreign minister,
be a German delegate, the statement may
be regarded as official, 1t was written in
English as follows;
"The question what would Germany
consider a peace of right and Justice, may
briefly be answered in this way: That
we would regard as such settlement, by
which the terms of peace laid down in
President Wilson's address to Congress,
Jan. s, 1918, and the principles of settle
ment in his subsequent addresses, are car
ried out in true accordance with the high
minded and far-seeing spirit in which
they were conceived
Among the IA points the dominating
note, in our opinion, is to be attributed
to point number IA, providing for the
constitution of league of nations, which
as Mr.. Wilson said on Sept. II, must be
a part and in a sense the most essential
part, of the peace settlement itself
As the great success of the recently
founded German league of nations So
ciety proves, German leading men clearly
recognize that nothing but an interna-
fta,.I g 4 ,,1 L..
can do away with imperialism and bring
forth new world of order. The German
people feel that, given such a league and
compulsory arbitration, peace negotias
tions would offer no particular difficult
ties, while without its constitution in
the peace settlement, peace of right and
justice viii be well-nigh impossible.
with regard to the first, second and
third points in Mr.. Wilson's program, we
are in perfect accord with him In con
nection with point four it may be men
toned that Germany is about to abolish
obligatory military service which thus
far has been considered the cornerstone
Of her exposed position in Europe. As
for point number five. we welcome: Free.
open minded and absolutely impartial ad.
justment of all colonial claims proposed
by MIR. Wilson and accepted by the en-
tente governments, and we are looking
forward to a discussion Of those claims
in the peace conference in the spirit out
lined By the American president.
Regarding point number six, we are
completely disinterested concerning all
questions relative to Russia except inso.
far as they concern our own frontier.
Nature 1lxr br,y4yuR-or eFf In nat AaEfra "a
spread of bolshevism over Germany and
other countries,
CAS- for point number seven we are
prepared to pay for all damage done to-
the Belgian civil population and their
property as far as will be proven to have
been perpetrated by German aggression
The same applies to point number eight,
relative to damage done civilians and
their property in northern France. As
for Alsace- Lorraine, we could not con
slider it Fighting a wrong if through the
peace settlement a new wrong should be
permitted That, however, would be the
case if Germans were compelled to be-
come French against their will. Like
wise, it must be emphasized in connec
ton with point number nine that justice
would forbid forcing Germans to become
Italian subjects without their free con
sent.
Point number ten treating on the
question of Austria Hungary, has been
subsequently enlarged by the American
government, in the sense that the Slav
nationalities of the former dual mon
archy must be granted, not only auton
omy, but absolute self differentiation
Justice will demand that the same priv
ilege be accorded to Austrian Germans
In the same manner we consider points
II and y merely the demand Of Justice
that various peoples of the Balkan pen
insula and the Ottoman empire should be
given their rights without distinction and
the freest opportunity for sefdetermi-
nation.
CAS- regards point l3, justice compels
us to consent that present German ter.
ritories 'inhabitated by indisputably
Polish populations should form part
of new Poland, but justice likewise COM
pels us not to tolerate that territories be
placed under foreign sovereignty which
are inhabited by indisputably German
population. Moreover, we would consid- |
er it a wrong of the gravest character, If, |
to satisfy Polish ambitions, east Prussia
should be cut off from the rest of the EN-.
pire.
Concerning all territorial changes to
be considered by the peace conference we
absolutely rely on point number two of