Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1917-01-04
SCORE germany N
REJECTING PROPOSAL
ENTENTE ALLIES IN JOINT An
SWER DRAW SCATHING
INDICTMENT

Paris, Jan. LIN reply to the
proffer of Germany and her allies for
a peace conference, the entente al
lies, in collective note, declare that
they "refuse to consider a proposal
which is empty and insincere. The
note was handed to the American am
bassador, William Graves Sharp, Sat
urday by Premier BRAND and was
made public simultaneously in London
and Paris.
The entente allied governments in
sist that no peace is possible so long
as they have not secured reparation
for violated rights and liberties and
the free existence of small states, and
have not brought about a settlement
for the future security of the world.
The note declares that the proposal of
the central powers is not an offer of
peace, but a "war maneuver." 1t is
declared to be founded on "calculat-
ed misinterpretation of the character
of the struggle in the past, the pres
ent and the future"
Text of Note
The text of the note:
"The allied governments of Belgi-
um, France, Great Britain, Italy, ia
pan, Montenegro, Portugal, Rumania,
Russia and Serbia. united for the de-
fense of the liberty of their peoples
and faithful to engagements taken
not to lay down their arms separate
ly, have resolved to reply collective
ly to the pretended propositions Of
peace which were addressed to them
on behalf Of the enemy governments
through the intermediary of the Unit
ed States, Spain, Switzerland and
Holland. Before making any reply,
the allied powers desire particularly
to protest against the two essential
assertions of the note Of the enemy
powers that pretend to throw upon
the allies responsibility for the war
and proclaim the victory of the CEN
tral powers.
"The allied government cannot ad-
NIT an affirmation doubly inexact, and
which suffices to render sterile all
tentative negotiation. The allied ma
tions have sustained for thirty
months war they did everything to
avoid. They have shown by their acts
their attachment to peace. That at
tachment is as strong today as it was
in 1914. But it is not upon the word
of Germany, after the violation of its
engagements, that the peace broken
by her may be based.
Not Peace Offer
"A mere suggestion, without
statement of terms, that negotiations
should be opened, is not an offer of
peace. The putting forward by the
imperial government of sham pro-
posal lacking all substance and pre-
cision, would appear to be less an Of
fer of peace than war maneuver. 1t
is founded on calculated misinterpre-
tation of the character of the struggle
in the past, the present and the fu-
ture.
Gas for the past, the German note
takes no account of the facts, dates
and figures which establish that the
war was desired, provoked and de-
clare6 by Germany and Austria Hun
gary.
Austria Began War
At The Hague conference it was
German delegate who refused all pro-
posals for disarmament. In July
1914, it was Austria Hungary who,
after having addressed to Serbia an
ultimatum. declared
war upon her in spite of the satiefac-
ton which had at once been accord
ed.
The central empires then rejected
all attempts made by the entente to
bring about a pacific solution OF a
purely local conflict. Great Britain
suggested a conference France pro-
posed an international commission;
the emperor of Russia asked the Ger.
man emperor to go to arbitration, and
Russian and Austria-Hungary came
to an understanding on the eve OF the
conflict. But to all these efforts Ger
many gave neither answer nor effect.
Belgium was invaded by an en-
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