Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 55, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1918 — GERMANY MUST DEMOBILIZE ARMY [ARTICLE]

GERMANY MUST DEMOBILIZE ARMY

Senator Lodge, Republican Leader, Says Armistice Now Would Lose War. M’CUMBER ASKS RESTITUTION Senator Hitchcock, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Declares Thought of Suspension of Hostilities Now Absolutely Abhorrent. Washington, Oct. 8. —Discussing Germany’s peace offer in the senate, Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska, chairman of the foreign relations committee, declared “absolutely abhorrent” even a thought of suspension of hostilities now and recommended the addition to the principles -previously laid down by the president as a basis ot peace one providing that the allies would deal only with real representatives of the German people. ■ Senator Lodge, Republican leader, ranking minority member of the foreign relations committee, declared that an armistice “would mean the loss of the war and all we have fought for.” Germany, lie said, now merely proposes a long debate on the basis of peace. The only future course, he said, is to secure a complete military victory over Germany and force her to sue for peace.

German Demobilization First. Senator MeCumber of North Dakota introduced a resolution which was referred to the foreign relations committee, that before the United States agrees to any armistice Germany must disband her army, surrender her navy, arms and munitions and agree to- pay for damages to cities and country devastated, restore Alsace-Lorraine to France, together with the penalty exacted from France in 1870. Senator Poindexter said the senate foreign relations committee should seek consultation on. any negotiations entered into by the government and that the country should be warned against the insidiousness, of published suggestions that an armistice should be agreed to upon withdrawal of Germany from occupied territory. Mr. Poindexter declared that, once a source of weakness because of difficulty in securing unified direction of the war, the association of the allies now is a source of strength in..possible difficulty in agreement upon acceptance of a “sacrifice’’ peace. “It is fortunate,” he said, “that the proposition for a too early peace, aF though concealed with its propositions of surrender and sacrifice, may be prevented because -of the inability for agreement between Great Britain,. France and ’the United States and other allies. Has Faith in Allies’ Premiers. “An armistice would mean the end' forever of any additional military effort. I havi» faith that Clemenceau, the tiger of France —the greatest man, in many respects,, of the present time —and the seer of Wales, that great statesman —premier of England, will be alert to protest against any such unwise step.

“Germany would eome out a victor just as she went into- it. If we accepted this offer Alsace-Lorraine would still be in German hands, Poland still would be enslaved; Serbians and Bohemians in Austrian yoke; Russia,, although evacuated’. It would leave Belgium and France unindemnified; it would leave Constantinople, strategically the most important port in the world in commercial lines with Asia, still dominated, by the unspeakable Turk, and leave-the German and Turkish alliance still intact.”

Cites Wilson’fr Fourteen Conditions. Senator Hitchcoek of tjie foreign relations committee here interrupted Senator Poindexter to ask: “Is the senator not omitting a very important condition? That is that tjie nations making the offer are appearing to accept 14 terms laid down by the president in his address of January 8, and again laid down as modified late in February and again in his New York speech. Do not the 14 conditions inc'Zde restoration and indemniflcati®fi of Belgium and return to France of Alsace-Lorraine?” “Did the president say that?” Senator ipodge interjected. "I think that can at least be Inferred,” replied Senator Hitchcock. Senator Poindexter declared that Senator Hitchcock’s statement Itself indicated “the dangerous and insidious character of the support given to the evacuation proposition. If an armistice were granted, he said, Germany’s unconquered army woulh withdraw to, its own borders, and then Germany would discuss which proposltjoris of the president she woufi agree’lo discuss and also the effect of the president’s 14 conditions.**