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Show I I No Armistice, Except One of Unconditional Surrender, as Bulgaria Did, to Be Considered. WASHINGTON. Oct- ,6 Germany's newest peace offer proposing an ar-R ar-R mlstice while President Wilson considers con-siders and conveys to the allies a proposal pro-posal on the basis of terms laid down ; by the president himself had not .' reached Washington in official form 1 tonight and there was, therefore, no authorized statement of how it was , regarded by the United States. Plainly, however, it was recognized as the next step in the continuing efforts ef-forts of the German statesmen to save something from the wreckage of I their dream of world domination, the ' step which might be expected from a losing trader who makes his proposi-, proposi-, tion, has it rejected and offers his next : bpst, each time coming nearer to the demands of his adversary, meanwhile endeavoring to hold out in the hopes of getting the best terms he can. It hardly Is taking a position in advance ad-vance of the American government to say that if the present proposition signifies sig-nifies Germany's unqualified acceptance accep-tance of the fourteen principles of peace laid down by President Wilson i in his fourth of July speech at the ; Tomb ol Washington, it will be con-' con-' i sldered. If it doesn't; if an acceptance ! , "in principle" with saving diplomatic I language paving the way for quibbling , around a council table", it will not be considered. The terms, accepted by all the allies al-lies as their own, the president compressed com-pressed into a single sentence: "A reign of law, based upon the consent con-sent of the governed, and sustained by the organized opinion of mankind." They provided for the destruction, or .reduction to virtual impotence, of any arbitrary power capable-of disturbing dis-turbing the peace of the world; the settlement of every question on the basis of the interest of the people concerned con-cerned and if effected, a league of nations, to enforce peace. If, in the offer of Prince Maxmilian, the new imperial chancellor, Germany is willing to accept these terms, and the remainder of the world is satisfied satis-fied that he speaks not alone but with the military, masters of Germany in acquiescence, the next logical step would be the withdrawal of every German Ger-man soldier from every foot of occupied occu-pied territory. From that point the allies might begin to test the sincerity sinceri-ty of Germany's willingness to conform con-form to the world peace preserving program. No one in Washington even as much as gives thought to any proposal that the-victorious troops of Great Britain, France, Italy and the United States should halt in an armistice while a "discussion" ;is -conducted, but thre might be an armistice of the same nature na-ture as was given to Bulgaria an armistice of unconditional surrender. When Austria proposed a peace negotiation, ne-gotiation, the official view was summed sum-med up this way: "Austria is breaking; this is the time to hit her hardest, not the time to talk peace." Real Peace Offer to Come Later. There is nothing to indicate that the view has been changed. No one here doubts that sooner or later Germany is i going to make a peace offer that may be Worth considering. None of the al-jlies al-jlies wishes to assume tho responsibility responsibil-ity of prolonging the war a day longer than is necessary to insure the future peace of the world. Therefore, it is realized that offers of peace are not to bo rejected before they are examined. exam-ined. Prince Maxmillan's offer with those said to be coming simultaneous-ly simultaneous-ly from Austria and Turkey, will go under un-der the same acid test which has been applied to all the others. If it fails to stand the test it will go the way of all 'others. Beginning of the End. Germany herself is participating formally now for the 'first time in an open and direct proposal of peace. The move is believed to mark the begin- ' niug of the last phase of the effort to i substitute diplomatic discussion for military operations before the allied and American armies cross the Rhine ' and prive German soil a taste of -what ! has happened'to Belgium and northern I France. Apparently no one here is ready to conclude that the kaiser's government has reached the point where it will accept without further hostilities the terms upon which their enemies are willing to lay down their arms. Kaiser's Promises foot Believed. Officials informally say they find no reason for thinking peace will be .Drougni apprectnDiy nearer Dy me latest lat-est developments. Actual power in Germany, they say, still lies with tho kaiser and his war lords, who will kei?p. any promises made on paper or around the council tablo only so long as they are cowed by superior military power. The kaiser's address to the German army and navy announcing the peace offer probably attracted more attention atten-tion here than the offer itself. In spite of his still arrogant tono, it was realized this was the nearest thing to a renunciation of saber-rattling that ever has come from him. One thought concerning tho German peace offer that found expression in many q'uarters tonight" was that the Germans, in launching their effort just at thiB time, probably hoped to effect the fourth Liberty loan by creating tho idea that the end of4.be war is at hand. It is believed, however, that their , effort will have the directly opposite effect. Officials were confident that the American people -will even more generously over-subscribe thet loan now as one means of convincing the kaiser that they are determined that thero shall be no peace except a vlc- , torlous one. i |