New Britain herald., 1919-02-01
.LEAGIE OF NATIONS
 SOU HOPE OF HUNS
CountIon BernstorG Says Ger may Looks for Just Peace
WILING TO PAY UNDERWRITERS

E,gardcd as Oficial-He promises
 abolition of Compulsory Military
 rraininc-Huns Innocent of War.
 5crlin, Jan. 31.-COunt Non Berns- off has given the Associated Press shtement written by him after con- sfltation with Foreign Minister Brock tDrff- Rantzau and other high officials q the German foreign office. Since me count is one of the men entrusted with the working out of the detanS Or Germanys participation in the peace conference and will, with the foreign minister, be q German dele gate, the statement may be regarded as official. It was written in English as follows:
 Holds Up Wilson's Principles.
 "The question what would Germany consider a peace of right and Justce' may briefly be answered in this way: That we would regard as such a set clement, bv which the terms of peace laid down in President Wilson's ad- dress to congress January s, 1918 and the principles of settlement in his sub- seouent addresses, are carried out Tn true accordance with the high minded and far-seeing spirit in which they were conceived'
 League of Nations Essential
 Among the 14 points the domi- mating note, in our opinion, is to be attributed to point number IA, pro- yiding for the constitution of a league of nations, which as MT. Wilson said on September 27 must be 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 international league of free and equal peoples can do away with imperialism and bring forth a new world of order The German people feel that, given such leage and compulsory arbltra- tion, peace negotiations would offer no particular difficulties, While with out it's constitution in the peace set clement. a peace of right and justice will be we'll nigh Impossible
 Abolish Military Training.
 with regard 10 the first, second and third points in MT. Wilson $ pro- gram we arc in perfect accord with him. In connection with point num- Der four ii may be mentioned 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 openminded and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims proposed by Mr. Wilson and accepted by the Entente governments, and we are looking forward to a discussion of those claims in the peace conference in the spirit outlined by the American president.
 ''Rega rding point number six we are completely disinterested concerning all questions relative to Russia except in so far as they concern our own from tier Naturally, however, we do not desire a spread of Bolshevism over Germany and other countries.
 Prepared to Indemnify Belgium.
 As for point number seven we are prepared to pay for all damage done 10 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 civil lans and their property in northern France. As for Alsace-L Lorraine, we could not consider it fighting d 8 wrong if through the peace settle me1t a new wrong should be permit ted. That, however, would be the case if the Germans were compelled to become French against their will Likewise it must be emphasized in connection with point number nine, that justice would forbid forcing > Germans 10 become Italian subjects without their free consent.
 Looking Toward Self Government.
 Point number ten, treating on the question of Austria Hungary, has been subsequently, enlarged by the American government, in the sense that the Slav natiOAalities of the for mer dual monarchy must be granted, not only autonomy, but absolute self determination. Justice will demand that the same privilege be accorded to Austrian Germans In the same manner, we consider points il and 12 merely the demand of justice that various peoples of the Balkan penin- Bula and the Ottoman empire should be given their rights without distinc- ton and the freest opportunity for lf-determination.
 Favors Free Poland But
 As regards point 13 justice com- pels Us to consent that present Ger man territories inhabited by indis- putably Polish populations should ! form a part of new Poland, but jus lice likewise compels us not to toler- Ate that territories be placed under foreign sovereignty which are inhab- ted by indisputably German popula- lion. Moreover, we would consider 1t wrong of the gravest character, if to satisfy Polish ambitions, east Prus- Bia should be cut off from the rest of the empire