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Show CONCLUSION OF GERMANY'S NOTE GIVEN TO PUBLIC AMSTERDAM, Sept. 22. The concluding conclud-ing portion .of the text of the German reply to Pope Benedict's peace proposal is available, as follows: Appreciating the importance of his holiness's declaration, the imperial government has not failed to submit the suggestion contained therein to earnesi. and scrupulous examination. Special measures which the government govern-ment has taken in closest contact with representatives of the German people for discussing and answering the questions raised prove how earnestly it desires, in accordance with his holiness's desires and tho peace resolution of the reichstag on July 19, to find a practical basis for a just and lasting peace. The imperial government greets with I special sympathy the leading idea of the peace appeal wherein his holiness clearly expresses the conviction that in the future the material power of arms must be superseded by the moral power of right. We are also convinced that the sick body of human society can be healed only by rortlfylng its moral strength or right. From this would follow, according to his holiness's holi-ness's view, the simultaneous dlminu-. tion of the armed forces of all states and the institution of obligatory arbitration arbi-tration for international disputes. Limitation of Armaments. We share his holiness's view that definite rules and a certain safeguard safe-guard for a simultaneous and reciprocal recipro-cal limitation of armaments on land, , on sea and in the air, as well as for the true freedom of the. community and high seas, are the things in ' treating which the new spirit that !n the future should prevail in interna- j tionat relations, should find first hopeful hope-ful expression. The task would then of itself arise to decide international differences of opinion, not by the use of nnned forces, but by peaceful methods, especially by arbitration, whose high peace -producing effect would together with his holiness fully recognize. The imperial government will in this respect support every proposal compatible with the vital interest of the German empire and people. Germany, owing to her geographical situation and economic requirements, lias to rely on peaceful intercourse with her neighbors and with distant corn tries. No people, therefore, has more reason than the German people to wish that, instead of universal hatred and battle, a conciliatory fraternal fra-ternal spirit should prevail between nations. The Important Thing. If the nal ionaa are guided by this spirit, it will be recognized to their advantage that the important thing is 10 lay more stress upon what unil'cs them in their relations. They will also succeed in settling individual indi-vidual poinl s of conflict which are l still undecided in such a way chat j conditions of existence will be cre-j cre-j ated which will be satisfactory io I every nation, and thereby a repetition of this great world catastrophe would - appear impossible. Only on this condition can a lasting last-ing peace be founded which would promote an intellectual rapprochement rapproche-ment and a return to the economic prosperity of human society. This serious and sincere conviction en courages our confidence that our enemies en-emies also may see a suitable basis in the ideas submitted by his holiness holi-ness for approaching nearer to the procuration of future peace under conditions con-ditions corresponding to a spirit of reasonableness and lo the situation in Kurope. The document Is signed by the imperial im-perial chancellor, Michaelis, and Is ad-j ad-j dressej to Cardinal Gasparri, papal sec-j sec-j retary of state. |