The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-12-22
REPLY Will NOT DO
ANTICIPATED ANSWER OF AUS
TRIA UNSATISFACTORY
BREAK IS VERY near
Summaries Of Note Reach Washing
ton From Foreign Capitals-Haps"
burg Empire Wants to Exchange
Opinions But Diplomatic Relations
May be Severed Soon.

May be Severed Soon.
The New York Times prints the
following dispatch from it's Washing
ton correspondent:
Austria's reply to Secretary Lam
sings note on the Ancona is re-
garded, on the basis of the unoffi-
cial reports received from London
and Amsterdam, as wholly unSat-
isfactory, unacceptable, and disap-
pointing to the United States. Dip
lomatic relations between the two
countries: may safely be described,
as standing at. the breaking point.
President Wilson and Secretary
Lansing are reserVing comment until
they have, the official translation and
text at hand, but tbs stated authori-
tatively that the United States will
enter into no exchange Of opinions as
the Vienna foreign .office is repre-
sented as suggesting, and absolutely
will decline to discuss the facts Of
the torpedoing and Smelling Of the
Ancona by an. Austrian submarine
with loss of American lives.
Persistence by Austria-Hungary In
the course she apparently has deter
mined to pursue, may result in the
severance of diplomatic relations be-
tween the United States and the
Vienna government. This step would
not be taken by the United States,
however, it was thoritatiVely stat
ed, without one more communicating
being dispatched to Austria-Hungary.
&c so
being prepared to insist that Austria
Hungary promptly comply with the
demands for disavoWal, punishment
Of the submarine commander, and
reparation by payment Of indemnify
for the Americans killed or injured.
making it clear that failure will
mean immediate breaking off of re-
lations.
A second note, it is said, renewed
with the original demands and with
out dealing in decision or ex-
! changes of views, would be Of even;
more insistent nature as to the expec-
tations Of compliance without further
delay.
The state department had received
no official information from its own
sources that American Ambassador
Penfeld, at Vienna, had been handed
the reply. From Baron Erich Zwied-
inek, charge Of the Austria-Hungary
embassy, however, came the informa-
ton that the reply had been deliver
ed.
Baron Zwiedinek received wire
less message from his government
calling his attention to the reply and
giving him, it was believed, certain
instructions as to what course to pur-.
sue. The charge called upon Secre-
tary Lansing twice Thursday; once
during the forenoon and once in the
afternoon, following the receipt Of.
the wireless dispatch. On both occa-
sions he discussed the situation in
formally and received additional light
on the views which this government
holds.
The state department received
dispatch described as being informa-.
tive from Ambassador Penfeld,
which described the viewpoint OF the
Austro-Hungafian government and
told of: the feeling of Vienna Off,
cials in regard to the American note.
The dispatch, it was authoritatiVely
explained, contained no mention Of
reply having been handed to the am
bassador..
The report of the ambassador was
said ITO be different in several re-
spects from the press reports con-
cerning the views Of the Austro-Hun-
garian government. Details in this
connection, however, were unavail-
able, the report being of a confden-
tial nature.
Officials seemed to be Of the opin-
ion that Mr.. Penfeld probably had
gained the Information he conveyed
during conference with Baron Won
Burian, minister of foreign affairs,
similar to those held by Secretary
Lansing and Baron Zwiedinek.
Officials. :weres,unables: to- UNDER
stand why the reply If delivered to
Ambassador Penfeid Tuesday, as Ia
dieated in press dispatches, had not
reached the state department. Forty
eight hours usually is the maximum
time required for an official dispatch
to reach the United States from
Vienna. It. was recognized that the
reply had to be translated and then
put into cipher before being dispatch
ed, but even with that delay the Off
cials believed The note should have
arrived. 50