Maximilian of Baden succeeded Count von Hertling as chancellor of Germany, and, in conjunction with Austria-Hungary, began an effort On September 27, President Wilson had The Issues of the War. for peace. addressed a meeting in New York City in which he stated the issues of the war. These issues he summarized as follows: "Shall the military power of any nation or group of nations, be suffered to determine the fortunes of peoples over whom they have no right to rule except the right of force? "Shall strong nations be free to wrong weak nations, and make them subject to their purpose and interest? "Shall peoples be ruled and dominated, even in their own internal affairs, by arbitrary and irresponsible force or by their own will and choice? "Shall there be a common standard of right and privilege for all peoples and nations or shall the strong do as they will and the weak suffer without redress? "Shall the assertion of right be haphazard and by casual alliance or shall there be a common concert to oblige the observance of common rights?" 3 He went on to say that he was prepared to give details to his general terms and outlined them as follows: 1. "The impartial justice meted out must involve no discrimination between those to whom we wish to be just and those to whom we do not wish to be just. It must be a justice which plays no favorites and knows no standard but the equal rights of the several peoples concerned. 2. No special or separate interest of any single nation or group of nations can be made the basis of any part of the settlement which is not consistent with the common interest of all. 3. There can be no leagues or alliances or special covenants and understandings within the general and common family of the League of Nations. 4. And more specifically, there can be no special, selfish economic combinations within the league and no employment of any form of economic boycott or exclusion except as the power of economic penalty by the exclusion from the markets of the world may be vested in the League of Nations itself, as a means of discipline and control. 5. All international agreements and treaties of every kind must be made known in their entirety to the rest of the world. N. Y. Times Current History, Nov., 1918, p. 251 ff. Germany is constantly intimating the 'terms' which she will accept; and always finds that the world does not want terms. It wishes the final triumph of justice and fair dealing. "4 On October 4, 1918, Prince Max sent to President Wilson through the Swiss embassy the following note: German Re "The German government requests the President of the United States to take in hand the restoration of peace, acquaint all the belligerent states with this request, and invite them to send plenipotentiaries for the purpose of opening negotiations. quest for an Armistice. "It accepts the program set forth by the President of the United States in his message to Congress on January 8, and in his later pronouncements, especially his speech of September 27, as a basis for peace negotiations. "With a view to avoiding further bloodshed, the German government requests the immediate conclusion of an armistice on land and water and in the air.' 115 This note was explained to the Reichstag the next day and a communication sent to the Austro-Hungarian government, which approved of the proceedings. President Wilson answered this note by asking a series of questions of the German government of which the first was, whether the German government was prepared to accept the address to Congress of January 8, and subsequent addresses. Thus, the object of entering into negotiations would be to agree upon the practical details of their application. Second, the President inquired whether the Imperial Chancellor spoke for the German nation or for the government which had so far conducted the war. He added that he could not propose to his colleagues a cessation of arms so long as German armies were upon the soil of those Allies. Wilson's Reply to Germany's Request. To this reply the German government answered that they were prepared to accept the statements of the President as to peace and to discuss only the method of applying them; that the Central Powers were prepared to give up all Allied territories before the negotiations; and that the German government which had undertaken the negotiations was in accord with the majority of the Reichstag in its decisions. To this note President Wilson replied by quoting a paragraph from his Mount Vernon speech of July 4, 1918: "The destruction of every arbitrary power anywhere that can separately, secretly, and of its single choice disturb the peace of the world; or, if it cannot be Ibid, pp. 251-254 Ibid, p. 242. presently destroyed, at least its reduction to impotency." He declared that these words constituted a condition of peace and that the Allied governments must know with whom they were dealing, and further, that no negotiations could be begun while the submarines of the Central Powers were continuing their unlawful depredations upon the seas, and while armies in the course of their withdrawal were committing acts of wanton destruction. "The nations associated against Germany cannot be expected to agree to a cessation of arms while acts of inhumanity, spoliation, and desolation are being con DUSSELDORF, GERMANY'S FOREMOST INDUSTRIAL CENTRE ON THE RHINE-IN THE HANDS OF THE ALLIES. tinued which they justly looked upon with horror, and with burning hearts." To Austria the President sent a separate note in which he demanded that it accept the amendment of article ten of his fourteen articles of peace which would permit the peoples of AustriaHungary to decide for themselves their future relation to that state. To these statements of Mr. Wilson, the Central Powers agreed and Germany declared that a change was being made in the German government which would comply with the President's demand that negotiations be carried on with representatives of the people. President Wilson had kept in close touch with the Allied govern ments during the period of negotiations and on November 4, the terms of the German armistice were arranged by the Allied commissioners. Signing The following day the German government sent a commission headed by Matthias Erzberger, the leader of the Central party in the Reichstag. The delegation received from Marshal Foch the armistice terms at Rethondes on November 8, and were asked to accept or reject them within seventy-two hours. A request for a cessation of hostilities was refused. On November 11 at five o'clock in the morning the armistice was signed and six hours later the fighting ceased on the western front. In the meantime the Austrian armistice had been signed on November 3 to go into effect immediately. The armistice terms were drastic because it was felt in the Allied camp that no possible means should be left to Germany to begin the war again. This was the more necessary because the internal affairs of Germany were in such a chaotic state. If dissatisfaction with the peace terms should cause the military power in Germany again to secure control of the German state, they must be entirely disarmed in order to prevent a recurrence of the war. In general the terms were as follows: I. Military provisions 1. The cessation of fighting six hours after the signing of 2. The immediate evacuation of invaded countries to be 3. The return of all the inhabitants of invaded countries 4. Surrender of a given number of guns of all kinds and air 5. Evacuation of the German country on left bank of the 6. In the evacuation of territory care shall be taken not to intact and all military stores not removed within the allotted time shall be turned over to Allies. 7. All roads and means of communication of every kind shall not be impaired. The German government must hand to the Allies a specified number of locomotives, wagons, motor lorries. Further within thirty-one days the entire pre-war equipment of Alsace-Lorraine personal and material. Daily Mirror BRITISH PEACE SALUTE AT COLOGNE. 8. Germany must reveal all mines, etc., on evacuated territories and reveal all poisoned or polluted springs and wells. 9. The Allies to have the right of requisition in occupied German lands and the upkeep of the troops shall be charged to the German government. 10. The return of all Allied prisoners of war, the return of German prisoners to be regulated at the conclusion of peace preliminaries. 11. Sick and wounded Germans in evacuated territory to be cared for by German personnel. |