The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-02-04
AUSTRIAN EMPIRE
CONSIDERS PEACE
Baron Burian Known to Have
Discussed Terms With Ger
many Kaiser Opposed
to Laying Down Arms.

London, Feb. 2.-The Copenhagen
correspondent of the Daily Mail asserts
that Baron Burian, the Austrian foreign
minister, at his recent meeting with the
German emperor, drew a doleful picture
Of the plight Of the dual monarchy and
urged that the time had arrived for the
Germanic owe to consider most Sc
riously. the possibilities for a tolerable
peace.
The Daily Mail attaches great impor-
lance to the dispatch. which is dated
Thursday and was delayed in transmits
sion. The dispatch says:
From a most trustworthy and well
Informed source in Berlin / received the
following statement regarding the ne
gotiations between the German states
man, Baron Burian, who recently visit
ed the German chancellor in Berlin, n
Emperor William, at the army head
quarters in France.
Fear Empires Fall.
BARRON Burian, whose sole object 1t
Is to save what can be saved of the
dual monarchy, reported to the Ger
mans that the situation in Austria was
precarious and that If the Russian adj
vance on Budapest is not stopped the
effect may very probably be the down
fall of Austria and the complete COL
lapse of Hungary, which must later en-
tail as a logical sequence also the
downfall of Germany.
Therefore Baron Burian urged h a
the Russians must at all costs be re-
pulsed and that Germany must send
large reinforcements to Hungary to
prevent a catastrophe. In any case. he
said, it was doubtful if it would be pos
sible for them to resist the Russians
and Serbians and perhaps the Rumani-
ms. Therefore, it was necessary Sc
riously to examine into the question OF
peace.
Discuss Peace Terms.
"a definite defeat would mean a de-
bacle for Austria Hungary n the par
tition of the empire. Ills visit to Ger
many was to consider most seriously
the possibilities of a tolerable peace. He
advised Germany not to reject funda-
mentally the thought of peace on the
grounds of a probable disarmament of
Europe. If Germany were disposed to
treat on such terms he believed the
other conditions would be tolerable
Perhaps it would be necessary to leave
the French part of Alsace to France
1nd to give up some Polish provinces
70 new Poland, but if Russia would re
llnquish a province and Austria a part
Of Galicia to Poland no real sacrifice
Tor Germany would be entailed.
Austria then would leave the res
Of Galicia to Russian and Bukowins
10 Rumania, and if necessary, a par
Of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Servia
IN -
Opposed by Germany.
The leading German statesmen ad.
mitted Baron Burian's intentions were
excellent and to some extent justified
by circumstances, but they declared
that such a peace would be more
r%uinous to Germany than total defeat
Disarmament of Europe, they contend
ed, would only mean that Great Brit
ain would be able to ty~ranniZe the
whole world and Germany would havt
lost all chance for safeguarding hel
commercial, industrial and economic
interests"
THE other terms advanced b,
Baron Burian, namely the status 81
ante-bellum, that is TO say the re
storing Of Belgium and northern
France and also the recovery by Ger
many Of her colonies, were with thu
exception Of the REIMBURSEMENT t.
France Of French Alsace and Of thu
Polish provinces to Poland, no abso
lutte hindrance to peace.
Peace Plans Hopeless.
For the reasons set forth, the Ger
man statesman declared the negotia
tons for peace are hope.ass and that
therefore, it would be madness.to ak
any steps revealing q disposition 70
peace on the part Of Germany an
Austria-Hungary as this would onl:
weaken their case.
lodIoil buIldn efeuD auijlllle
that there was no other way than t
reject all ideas of peace and to tax
chances and all risks in continuing In
war in the hope that the un6reame
of might occur to save tim Perhap
a disagreement among the allies o
some great victory might prove thei
salvation.
1.-The Germans agreed that it wa
necessary to dispatch reinforcements t
Hungary and promised to transfe
troops up to the number of 1000, 900 b
spring. One million, five hundre
thousand soldiers would be sent t
, France as a last attempt to crush tn
) allies and force peace.
"These are said to have been tn
: main points of the negotiations be
tween the German statesmen an
[ Baron Burian, but, Of course. a mum
Der of special questions also were dis
, cussed and settled"