| OCR Text |
Show MICHAELIS HARD TO m DOWN Situation Regarding His Ambiguous Am-biguous Peace Speech Remains Re-mains Unchanged. CRISIS ONLY ADJOURNED j Chancellor Accused of Playing I a False Game in Politics Majority Angered. COPENHAGEN, Aug. 25. Yesterday's Yester-day's session of the main committee of "the relchstag was productive of further fur-ther declarations and discussions regarding re-garding Chancellor MIchaelis' attitudo on peace which the latest German papers pa-pers construe variously. A careful perusal of the mass of roports and comments on tho committee meetings yesterday and Wednesday show that Dr. Michaelis throughout conferences with party leaders did not change his attitude rogarding the wording of his ambiguous spoech of Julj' 19 and the situation as far as pinning him down to any definite peace program remains exactly where it was when he assumed assum-ed office. It was brought. out In the report nf VARtp.rdav's nrocfiodinrn that thu mn. jorlty party representatives endeavored endeavor-ed before the relchstag meeting July 19, to secure from him definite assurances as-surances but failed. Chancellor Generally Doubted. Herr Erzberger, tho Centrist leader, alone declared in yesterday's committee commit-tee sitting that doubt as to the chancellor's chan-cellor's acceptance of the principle of peace without annexations and indemnities indem-nities now had been eliminated for good. All other views ranged from mild doubt and open skepticism to flat denial. Vorwaorts, the Socialist organ, is inclined to give the chancellor the benefit of the doubt but demands that he defend his political integrity and good faith against Pan-German machinations machi-nations by a plain and unequivocal statoment that does not hold IdeaB of annexation and conquest which those elements attribute to him. Crisis Only Adjourned. The Berlin Tageblatt says the crisis is only adjourned. Herr Haussmann, Radical member of the reichstag, declared de-clared in a speech in the committee yesterday that the chancellor had introduced in-troduced elements of doubt and uncertainty uncer-tainty into the interpretation of the reichstag resolution; had allowed the conservatives to claim him as their own man without a word of protest, and that he had done nothing to shake off the assertion of the Pan-Germans that he is playing a false game in politics. poli-tics. The chancellor on Wednesday, as on the day when he assumed office, demanded de-manded elbow room fpr peace negotiations negotia-tions but the majority leaders then, as now declared expressly that there could be no question of such elbow room and that peace must be made on the basis specified in the resolution. Dr. Michaelis was warned of the danger dan-ger of departing therefrom. What the conservatives and Pan-Germans Pan-Germans think of the present situation is revealed plainly in the Berlin Tages Zeitunc The anepr nf thp msHnritv parties against the chancellor is unjustified un-justified in the opinion of the writer. writ-er. i |
