The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-13

The propositions which they will
bring forwatd are. according to the
Chancellor, appropriate for the estab-
lishment of q lasting peace.
Berlin, Dec. 12.-Following is the
text OF the note addressed by Ger
many and her allies to the neutral
powers for transmission to the En-
tente Allies:
The most sterrific war experienced
in history has been raging for the
last two years and half over a large
part of the world-a catastrophe
which thousands of years of common
civilization was unable to prevent
and which Injuries the most precious
achievements of humanity
Our aims are not TO shatter nor
annihilate our adyersaries. In spite
of our consciousness of our military
and economic strength and our readi-
ness to continue the war (Which has
been forced npon, us) to the bitter
end, If neces Sary. at the same time,
prompted by hhe flesiEe to avoid fur
ther bloodsh9 aNd make an end to
the atrocities tof war, Ahe four allied
powers propkeMto epter forthwith
into peace NED *$ionH
"The propoki.3<As which they bring
forward for iQaass asald
which have for their object a guaran-
tee OF the existence. of the honor and
liberty of evolution for their nations,
are, according TO their firm belief, an
appropriate basis for tho establish
ment of a lasting peace.
THE four allied powers have been
obliged TO take up arms to defend JUS
tice and the liberty of national eyolu-
ton. The glorious deeds of our arm
les have in no way altered their pur-
pose. We always maintained the firm
belief that our own rights and justi-
fled claims in no way control the
rights of these nations.
THE spiritual and material pro-
gress which were the pride of Europe
at the beginning of the twentieth CEN
tury are threatened with ruin. Ger
many and her allies, Austria-Hun-
gary. Bulgaria, and Turkey. gave
proof of their unconquerable strength
in this struggle. They gained gigan-
tic advantages over adyersaries SUI
perior in number and war material.
Our lines stand dnshaken against
ever-repeated attempts made by arm
les.
THE last attack in the Balkans has
been rapidly and yictoriously over
come. The most recent events have
Il Il LaN inn
ance of the war will not result in
breaking the resistance of our forces,
and the whole situation with regard
to our troops justifies our expectation
of further successes.
IF, in spite of this offer of peace
and reconciliation. the struggle
should go on, the four allied powers
are resolved to continue to a victor
ious end, but they disclaim RESPONSE
bility for this before humanity and
history. The Imperial Government,
through the good offices of your EX-
cellency, asks the Government of
there is inserted the name of the
name of the neutral power addressed
in each instancel to bring this COM
munication to the knowledge of the
Government of there are inserted
the names of the belligerents.l
Chancellor Won Bethmann-Hollweg
in his speech to the Reichstag said
that Germany, together with her al
lies, conscious of their responsibility
before God, before their own nations,
before humanity" had proposed this
morning to the hostile Powers to en-
ter on peace negotiations.
The Chancellor then read the text
of the note to the neutral countries
and continued:
Gentlemen, in August, 1914, our
enemies challenged the superiority of
power in the world war. Today we
raise the question OF peace, which is
a question of humanity. We await
the answer of our enemies with that
sereneness of mind which is guaran-
teed to us by our exterior and interior
strength and by our clear conscience.
If our enemies decline to end the war,
if they wish to take upon themselves
the worlds heavy burden of all these
terrors which hereafter will follow,
then even in the last and smallest
homes every German heart will burn
in sacred wrath against our enemies
who are unwilling to stop human
slaughter in order that their plans of
conquest and annihilation may con-
tinue."