Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-12-11
GERMANY WILL NOT
sign PROTOCOL
Gustav Noske, Minister of De-
Tense, Says Limit Has Been
Reached and Allies Can &C.
cupy His Country if They Like
GIVES VIEWS AT LENGTH
declares British ana French Govern
mcnts Are Working up Opinion In
in Thcir Countries TO Cripple Ger
many by Hard Terms

London, Dec :. BY the Associated
ss)--Gustav Noskc, minister of de-
Tense is determined not to sign the peace
protocol handed Germany by the entente
and is resolved to recommend that the
government adopt his attitude, come what
may, according to an interview with
Noskc printed to-day.
Il cannot speak for the whole govern
ment, because it has not yet come to a
decision" said Noslse, but shall recon-
mend n refusal to sign the peace treaty
protocol"
The limit has long been reached. Let
the allies occupy the country If they like
The peace now presented to us is no,
peace. but prolongation of the war
Were such a treaty accepted, the Ger
man nation would rise up and avenge it
self upon the men who signed it, and it
would be right. Great Britain and France
are deliberately planning the destruc-
ton of Germany. All the confidence
ever had in the pledges of the allies is
gone forever.
BY deceit and trickery the British and
French governments are working up
opinion in their countries to cripple Ger
many still further beyond the crushing
effect of the first treaty We have yielded
too often. and now must resist Let the
allies do what they please"
Asked whether he would resign If the
remainder of the government decided to
accept the allied terms. Noske replied
that he could not say what he would
do week hence, but that his present
position had been deliberately adopted
and was Interchangeable
The correspondent says that, although
Noskc carefully emphasized that he was
oaly defining his own position his words
greed with the intentions ascribed to the
other members of the cabinet
The two straws which Noske repre-
sents as having broken the back OF
German endurance, SAYS the correspon-
dent. are the demand for dock and har-
Dor material and the protocol empow-
ering the allies to enforce execution
of the peace treaty.
The correspondent says that during
his talk with Noslse he suggested that
If the Germans had not sunk the war
ships in the Scapa Flow the demand
of the allies for tugs and docks would
not have been made To this he says
Noske replied:
"Oh, yes they would. The British
would have Invented some pretext
Great Britain is out to cripple Germany
and demands our last dredges and
c"ane5 so as to prevent the revival oil
our mercantile marine
Noshe repudia;cd the German govern
rents responsibility for the sinking of
the war hips in Scapa Flow and accused
the British government of publishing mis-
leading ana faxed" extracts of the letter
of Rear-Admiral Adolf Won Trotha, chief
O tho German admiralty, written to Ad-
l1iral Won Reuter-, who sank the ships
l. agarding the protocol \oske said It's
signature would be giving Germany's az
sent in advance 10 unlimited future ag-
Eressions by the allies.
What more do you want" said Noeke
You used to tell us If we chased away
the Hohenzollerns peace would be adopted
And now you are breaking every pledge
YOU gave. You have imposed upon us such
crushing peace that il could not have
been worse if the Hohenzolerns had re-
NAMED.
The French doubtless will march into
Germany. Let them come The allies
know that Germany is without means OF
Resistance. Allied officers are all over
the country Spies are shuffiing about
everywhere. All the scare talk about
German armament is deliberate press
campaign to prepare public opinion for
aggression"
Noske further limited at third objec-
ton Germany might raise to the signing
of the protocol.
"If the United States stays out" he
said the commissions established under
the peace treaty will be taken over by
the other allies. II that means more
Frenchmen, 1t would be most injurious
TO German interests. and we should not
agree."