Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-31


ticle 1 am sending you by Mr..
Strunsky. "Post impressions"
especially that part l have indi-
Gated in the margin. 1t is from
this article that got the idea
of suggesting the alternative
proposition Of a world court.
Your note setting forth your
position in this matter should
be an appeal to the heart and to
the conscience of the world.
TUMULTY.
Evidently the president seriously
had been considering this very mat
ter, as was shown by the following
reply to my note:
The White House, Washing
ton.
Dear Tumulty: Thank you for
the memorandum about peace
suggestions. l have read 1t
very carefully and find my own
thoughts travelling very much
the same route. You may be
sure I am doing a great deal of
serious thinking about it all.
Faithfully, w. w.
The president, through the state
department and various instru-
I1lGnIdIILlGS " WIllCl1 A1S lAclA e~NSS'7S
for information, was keeping in
touch with the German situation
and understood from the beginning
what the German game was with
reference to peace, and to the Varl'
Gus offers which he was making. he
knew that the German peace offers
were merely an attempt on the
part of the civil government of Ger
- If n
lessness at sea; that they were
mere gestures on the part Of the
German government made to boil
ster up the morale of the German
people, and that these German Of
fers did not indicate the real desire
for peace on equitable terms, as
the events of the future showed,
but they were the terms of peace
of a nation which thought itself the
victor, and, therefore, in a position
ruthlessly to dictate final settle
ment.
A Demand Upon Germany
Many of the advisers of the presi-
dent suggested that he should ig-
more these offers. But the president
was wiser than those around him
in accepting the German bid at its
face value, and he finally called
upon Germany to state the practical
terms upon which she was willing
to consider a settlement for peace.
There was another reason for the
presidents patience. Foreseeing an
inevitable crisis with Germany over
the frequent sinking of our ships
he was fully conscious that he could
not draw the whole country with
him in aggressive action II before
he took the step leading to war he
had not tried out every means OF
peace. While his enemies denounc
ed his meekness and apparent sub
servience to German diplomacy, and
while some went so far as to char.
acterize his conduct as cowardly.
he serenely moved on and forced
Germany to a showdown. He had
only asked Germany to state her
terms, but he frankly asked the
allies to give to the world their
statement of what they considered
the basis of peace.
| One of the phrases in his note to
the allies which caused great irrita
ton was that neither side had
stated the object for which the wal
had been fought" While he was
criticised for this at the time, il
did just what ne intended it to do
1t forced Germany openly to avov
what she believed to be the basis OF
peace, and gave the allies theil
chance, as if they were being forced
to do it by the American president
to say what they thought would be
a just settlement.
In the latter part of January
Germany announced to the United
States that she was going to begin
on February 1, unrestricted sub
marine warfare inthe zone around
the British Isles, and undertook tt
specify the route which a restricted
number of American ships might
take through this zone.
| ITO BE Continued,N