The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-12-20
CERMAAYS PEACE CONFERENCE PROPOSALS
ARE TURNED DOWN BY Great BRITAIN;
PARLIAMENT STIRRED BY PREM|ERS SPEECH

AAoluoii, Dec' ~ Inc aihlouHCe-
ment in the House of Commons today
by David Lloyd George, the new
prime minister, that the first act of
his administration was the rejection
of the proposal of the Central Powers
for peace conference constituted one
of the most momentous scenes which
the Oldest Parliamentary veterans
had ever witnessed.
The new premier declared that be-
fore the Allies could give favorable
consideration to such an invitation
they must know that Germany was
prepared to accede to the Allies
terms. giving complete restitution,
full reparation and effectual guaran-
the invitation of Germany, proclaim
ing herself victorious, without any
knowledge of her proposals would be
putting our heads into moose with
the end of the rope in Germany's
hands"
No Terms Stated.
Mr.. Lloyd George asserted that at
the moment Germany was penning
the note, assuring her convictions as
to the rights of other nations she
5 dragging Belgians into slavery
lie announced that the note present
ed through Washington contained no
proposals of terms, but was a para
phrase of Chancellor Won Bethmann-
Hollweg's speech and that the Allies
had separately concluded to reject it,
although they had informally ex-
changed views and would within
few days present a joint reply.
AIR. Asquith, the former premier,
seconded Mr.. Lloyd Georges decision
with even stronger words and almost
at the same moment Earl Curzon was
informing the Lords that the govern
ment would enter no conference that
did not guarantee for Europe the free
and Independent existence of nations
great and small. The MARQUIS of
Crewe affirmed the approval of the
members of the late government.
An Important Day.
{, The day was doubly important
one for the Commons because the new
premier unfolded his program for
wide reaching war measures and Mr..
Asquith closed the last chapter of his
nine years of leadership with an ac-
counting of his war stewardship.
The principal feature of Mr.. Lloyd
George s program is measure for
national service, matching Germanys
latest scheme whereby every citizen
will be liable for enrolment to per-
form work for which the authorities
consider him best equipped.
Arthur Neville Chamberlain, mayor
of Birmingham and member of the
famous family, whose energy and
, business capacity are rated high, will
be director of the national service
with civil and military directors re-
sponsible to him.
The premier prcfaced his review of
the situation by the statement that
Britons did their best in time of dan
ger, that the country should be told
unpleasant facts and that he would
give, not a dark, but a stern view of
the outlook.
Premier's Speech.
Rising in the House few minutes
after 4 o'clock, the prime minister
said:
81 appear before the House of Com
mons today with the most terrible
responsibility that can fall upon the
shoulders of any living man as chief
adviser of the crown, in the most
gigantic war in which this country
was ever engaged, a war upon the
events of which its destiny depends.
1T is the greatest war ever waged:
the burdens are the heaviest that
have been cast upon this or any other
country and the issues the gravest
that have been attached to any con-
flict in which humanity was ever in
yolved.
50 "Thc responsibilities of the new
government have been suddenly ac-
. centuated by the declaration made by
the German chancellor. The state
ment made by him in the Reichstag
has been followed by a note presented
by the United States without note or
nnt L.. Al
government will be given in full ac-
, cord with all our allies.
Allies in Harmony.
Naturally there has been an inter-
B change of views, not upon the note,
because it has only recently arrived,
, but upon the speech which impelled
it, and as the note itself is practi-
cally only reproduction or para
phrase of the speech, the subject mat
ter Of the note itself mas been dis
cussed informally between the Allies.
am glad to be able to state that we
each separately and independently
arrived at IDENTICAL conclusions.
~ am very glad that the first an
's.swer given to the statement of the
German chancellor was given by
France and Russia. They have the
unquestionable right to give the first
answer w SuSI all lIlFlIdIlOIl. Inc
, enemy is still on their soil and their
sacrifices have been the greater.
"The answer they have given has
already appeared in the papers and
i simply stand here to give clear and
gdefnite support to the statement they
5haye already made.
Terrible Responsibility.
"Any man or set of men who want
only or without sufficient cause pro-