Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-01-18
GERMANY DENIES
ENTENTE CHARGES
Berlin Says Demands Of Enemies Are
Surprising-Teutons Ready
for Peace.

Berlin, Jan. 12.-Germany handed
neutral governments q note concerns
ing the reply of the entente to the Ger
man peace proposals, the Overseas
News agency announces.
The note says in part:
"Our adversaries declined this prop
osition, giving as the reason that it Is
a proposition without sincerity and
without Importance.
'The central powers have no rea-
son to enter into any discussion re-
garding the origin of the war. His
tory will judge upon whom the im-
mense guilt Of the war shall fall.
Germany and her allies. who ha0
to take up arms for defense Of their
liberty and their existence, consider
this, their aim Of the war, as OBJ
tanned.
'In the face Of such war aims the
demand for restitution, reparation and
guarantees in the mouth of our adver-
saries produces q surprising effect.
"Our adversaries call the proposal
of the four allied (TeutOnic) powers
lies must protest in the most ener~
getic fashion against such charac-
terization of their motives, which were
frankly explained. They were per-
suaded that a peace which was just
and acceptable to oil the belligerents
was possible.
"Our adversaries, who had it in their
hands to examine the proposition as
to it's contents, neither attempted an
examination nor made counter-prOpos-
ais. Instead, they declared that peace
was impossible so long as the re-es-
tablishment Of violated rights and lib
critics, the recognition Of the principle
of nationalities and the free existence
of small states were not guaranteed.
1.-THE war Of starvation against Ger
many and the pressure exercised In
Englands interest against neutrals are
not less scandalously conflicting with
the rules of the laws of nations than
with the commands Of humanity.
"Twice the imperial government de-
clared to the Belgian government that
1t did not come as an enemy to Bel
gium, and asked 1t to spare the coun-
try the terrors Of war. Germany Of
fered to guarantee the integrity and
independence of the kingdom to the
fullest extent and compensate for all
damages which might be caused by
the passage Of the German troops.
"The Belgian government declined
the repeated offer of the imperial gov
ernment. Upon her and those powers
which instigated her to this attitude
falls the responsibility for the fate
which befell Belgium.
Germany and her allies have made
an honest attempt to terminate the
war and open the road for an under
standing among the belligerents. The
imperial government asserts the fact
that it merely depended upon the de-
cision Of our adversaries whether the
road toward peace should be entered
upon or not. The hostile governments
declined to accept this road. Upon
them falls the full responsibility for
the continuation Of the bloodshed.
"Our allied powers, however. shah
continue the struggle In quiet conf
dence and with firm trust in their
right, until peace Is gained which
to their nations honor. ex-
Istence and liberty Of development.
and which to all the nations Of the
European continent gives the blessing
TO cooperate In mutual respect and
under equal rights together for the 20,
luton Of the great problems Of ciyS
Ilization."