The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-29
WRAPPED IN SILENCE.
Officials of Washington Government De-
eide to Keep Mum on Peace.

Washington, Dec. pa policy OF alb
solute silence regarding the peace nego-
tiations has been adopted by President
Wilson and Secretary Lansing. 1t was
stated officially yesterday that all steps
henceforth will be regarded as conGden-
tial, that no comment will be made on
any development and that rumors will
not be discussed.
The decision to pursue this course was
made known after the state department
had received the official texts Of the Ger
man and Austrian replies TO President
Wilson's identic notes to the belligerents,
proposing discussion of peace terms
and after it was learned that the Teu-
tonic powers would be willing to permit
a confidential exchange OF tative
tevms, if it became necessary TO do SO
to bridge the gap threatening to prevent
a gathering of peace delegates.
In many quarters the official attitude
was construed as indicating that secret
exchanges were expected to follow, if
they did not precede, the formal answers
of the entente nations to the notes Of
President Wilson and the central powers.
Because of the highly confidential nature
of such negotiations, it is pointed out,
the intermediary would be obliged to re
frain from admitting even that they were
in progress.
So far as the entente governments are
concerned. it is understood that little ii
any confidential information has reached
here to shed more light on their attitude
than has been given publicly in the
speeches of their premiers and the com
ment of their press. Consequently there
is no disposition here to doubt that the
allies unanimously will refuse to enter
any sort of peace conference until Ger
many has indicated clearly on what con
ditions she will stop fighting.
On the Teutonic side, while the reply
to President Wilson is regarded by the
German embassy as complying with
President Wilson's suggestion in offering
method of procedure, Germany is said
to be willing to consider other sugges-
tions regarding methods from any quar-
ter, including her enemies.
The views of the German government
further are represented as being as fol-
lows.
If the entente considers that guaran
tees for the future are the principal ele
ments to be achieved and, lacking conf
dence in the German government, insists
upon knowing something of the guaran-
tees that Germany is willing to give, the
Berlin government might make some dec
laration regarding the principles to which
she is willing to subscribe, leaving details
for settlement at the proposed confer
enee. The German government considers
that there is little to be gained by GO
ing into any lengthy discussion of guar
antees for the future, with the present
war in progress. In this connection, Ger
many, it is asserted, has never intended
that the conference suggested should re-
suit Immediately in the establishment of
peace. 1t is considered that it necessar-
ily would be of preliminary nature to
determine whether it might be possible
to end the war.
According to the German diplomats,
the plan Germany Is proceeding upon
would provide that the delegates should
first agree upon territorial and immedi-
ately connected terms, and that a pre-
liminary tentative treaty then should be
settled upon. This completed, the Ger
man idea is to have all the neutrals
called i'm to participate in consideration
of the questions of guarantees for the
future They regard it as matter for
the conference to settle whether the neu
trail nations should become signatory to
the entire peace treaty or only to that
part having to do with guarantees for
the maintenance of peace in the future,
such as freedom of the seas. limitation
nf armaments. formation of a world !
league to enforce peace. and establish |
ment of an international court of srbi- |
tration.