New-York tribune., 1919-02-19

consider nothing tomorrow but an
Interpolation by DR.. Heinz with
reference to the armistice terms
The German Cabinet voted early
Sunday morning to reject the AL
lied terms for the renewal of the armis-
tice and take the chances of an Allied
military advance being ordered. After
consultation with the party leaders,
however, the decision was changed, and
on Sunday night orders were issued
that the armistice be signed.
1t appears that the government con-
sidered one of the Allied conditions as
capable of being construed to mean
that the Allies, if they found it neces-
sary, might occupy all Germany, and
the Cabinet is declared to have felt that
ultimately there would be such an oc-
cupaton and that it might be as well
to bring things to q crisis now, rather
than sign an agreement which it con-
sidered was degrading in its terms.
These terms, it is held, not only con-
tanned no guarantee that there would
not be an occupation of all Germany,
but Indicated in the estimation of the
Cabinet, that after all it was only q
matter of time until upon one pretext
or another the Allied troops would ad-
vance.
First Refused to Sign
The Cabinet originally went into
session on Saturday on receipt of a be-
lated copy of Marshal Foch's ultima
tum, which Herr Erzberger had for
warded and which had been myster-
iously delayed. The ministers were in
conference until 2 o'clock on Sunday
,,,r,
3 o'clock. Toward morning they took
a final vote, which was in favor of
refusal to sign the terms.
1t was felt, however, it is explained.
that all German parties had a right
to voice in the decision, and the party
leaders were summoned into council.
rms resulted IN reversal Of the de-
cision before the day was over. and
the Cabinet, the explanation runs,
bowed to the will Of the peoples rep
resentatiVeS.
On Sunday afternoon, between and
o'clock, the note to accompany the
drawn up and approved. This note,
with the orders for the signing, was
telephoned to Berlin, where the me-
chanlcal apparatus for forwarding it
was situated. The note was repeated
over the telephone from Berlin for
verificaton, the reading being finished
at 4:30 o'clock.
The note was received in Treves
a half hour later, and Herr Erzberger,
who is said to have been vastly sur
prlsed and upset, communicated it to
Marshal Foch.
Ot the government members Philip
Scheidemann and Count Won Brock
dorff- Rantzau, together with Herr
of ha
sion, personally refused to sanction
the terms, declaring them "dishonor-
able to Germany' The party leaders,
however, when they were hurriedly
called into conference at the eleventh
hour, and who attended with the eX-
ception of Hugo Hasse, of the Inde-
pendent Socialist faction, overruled
the Cabinet.
Consider 1t Illuminating
The Germans, as their sentiment is
reflected here, consider this the most
humlliating surrender they have made
to the Entente.
That Herr Erzberger was able to Sc
cure the exclusion of Silesia from the
territory the Poles were to administer
IS regarded as personal triumph for
MN. Ihls, however, was more than
offset, by the other highly Objectionable
ASov"ic VI .iie ne" Terms, winch appar-
entity was the one that led to the early
decision of the Cabinet not to sign the
armistice.
This was the provision that made
the armistice only an indeterminate,
brief affair, that might be broken on
three days notice, and which stipu-
lates that if the conditions previously
untultilled are not carried out the
chief Allied command may conduct
them to conclusion in all their dc
tails.
1t was this condition that the 90 =
crnment considered to mean that, in
case the Entente wished to do so or
found it necessary, Allied troops
might occupy all parts of the former
empire.