Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-28
BY JOSEPH p. TUMULTY
CHAPTER XXXIII
Continued

1
TIME offer of Germany was so
frank and unequivocal in
seeming to meet the terms Of
| the presidents final proposals or
| peace, that when Colonel House read
it to the president, he turned and
said: 'HThis means the end of the
war; When 1 was Intercepted as
to my opinion, I replied that, while
| the German offer of peace seemed
to be genuine, in my opinion no Of
fer from Germany could be consid-
cred that bore the HohenZollern-
Hapsburg brand. For moment this
seemed to irritate the president, and
he said, "But, at least, we are bound
to consider in the most serious way
any offer of Germany which is prac-
| tically an acceptance of my pro-
posals of peace" There our first dis
cussion regarding the German peace
offer ended.
At the conclusion of this talk /
was invited to take dinner with the
| president and Colonel House, and
| with the members Of the presidents
family, but the matter of the note
which we had just received weighed
so heavily upon me that my diges-
| tive apparatus was not in good work
| ing order; and yet the president was
l. seemingly unmindful of it and re-
fused to permit the evening TO De
interfered with because or the note'
attending the concert and apparent
ly enjoying every minute OF the eve
ming and applauded the speeches. that
were made by the gentlemen who ad-
dressed us.
After the concert began I left the
presidential box and, following
habit I had acquired since coming
to the executive offices, conferred
with the newspaper men IN our
party, endeavoring to obtain from
them, without expressing any per
sonal opinion of my own, just now
they felt toward the terms proposed
in the Max note. 1 then called up
the state department and discussed
the note with Mr.. Polk, expressing
the same opinion to him that hao
already expressed to the president
to the effect that we could not &C
cent a German offer which came TO
nc ,,nder the auspices Of the Hohen-
zoIlerns.
IJnon the conclusion Of the con-
cert we left the Metropolitan opera
house. I accompanying the president
TO the Waldorf AS took my place
in the automobile, the president lean
ed over to Mrs. Wilson and whisper
cd tn her the news of the receipt
of the German note. Then, turning
to me. he said: ''FIave you had any
new reaction on the note since
last talked with you?" I told MN
had not, but that, what l hau
learned since talking with MN ear
lier in the evening had only con-
firmed me in the opinion that nau
already expressed that it Woulo no.
he right or safe for us to accept
the German proposals. When we
arrived at the Waldorf it was lz:oo
M and the president asked me
tn 90 to his rooms, and there, Tor
an hour and a half, we INDUCED IN
o long discussion of the German OF
fer AS was usual with the pfesl'
dent in all these important matters'
his mind was, to use his own PHRASE
"open and to let
Discussing the Note
emphasized the idea that we
could not consider a peace proposal
in which the kaiser and his prooo
nlaved a, part, and that the only
from the German people themselves;
that in his Mexican. policy he had
proclaimed the doctrine that no rul-
or who came to power by murder or
ssination would ever receive rec
oenition of the United States; that
we must broaden the morality Whlcn
underlay this policy, and by our at
titude say to the European rulers
who started this war that CUNT Is
personal and that until they had
nl1rged themselves from the respon-
sibilitv of war, we could not consld-
err any terms Of peace that came
through them.
The next day the president left
for Cleveland Dodges home on the
! Hudson, with Colonel House and DR..
Grayson. I remained in New York
at the Knickerbocker hotel, bus1ly
engaged in porting over the newspa-
per files to find out what the edi-
toriaI attitude Of the country was
toward the German proposal OF
peace, and preparing a brief on the
whole matter for the presidents con-
sideration. Before Colonel House
left 1 again impressed upon him my
conviction that it would be q dlsas-
trous blunder for us to accept 1t.
The president returned to WASH
ington in the early afternoon, Col
onel House accompanying him. L
was eager and anxious to have an
other talk with him and was given
the opportunity in the afternoon IN
the presidents compartment in the
train on our way back to Washing
ton. AS 1 walked into the compart-
ment the president was conterr1ng
with Colonel House. and as l took
a seat, the president asked me IL
still thought that the German pro-
| posal should be rejected. I replied
| that, if anything. I was stronger In
| the judgment I had already express
ed. He said: But it is not an easy
matter to turn away from an offer
like this. There is no doubt that
| the form of it may be open to objec-
ton, but substantially it represents
| the wishes of the German people,
even though the medium through
| which it may be conveyed is an
odious and hateful one, but I must
| make up my own mind on this and
must not be held off from an &C
| ceptance by any feeling of criticism
that may come my way. The gen.
| tlemen in the army who talk about
| going to Berlin and taking 1t oy
force are foolish. 1t would -cost
million American lives to accom-
plish it, and what lies in, my
| thoughts now is this: If we can az
cept this offer, the war will be at an
! end, for Germany ca not begin a
new one, and thus we would save
great deal of bIoodshed''
Regardless of Consequences"
I remember, as I pointed out to
him the disappointment of the PEG.
pie were he to accept the German
offer, he said: eff 1 think it is right
to accept it I shall do so, regardless
| of oOncpn11ann &c fo,. r