New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-01-01
ENTENTE SPURNS
TEU7ON PROPOSAL
Peace Plan Of Central Empires
Swept Aside in SCathing Note

Paris an. 1.-The following is the
official text of the note sent by the
Allies to the Central Empires reject
ing the peace proposals of the latter:
THE allied governments of Bel
GUM, France, Great Britain, Italy.
Japan, Montenegro. Portugal, Ru-
mania, Russia and Serbia, united for
the defence of the liberty of their
peoples and faithful to engagements
taken not to lay down their arms
separately, have resolved to reply COL
lectively to the pretended propositions
of peace which were addressed to
them on behalf of the enemy gov
ernments through the intermediary
| of the United States, Spain, Switzer-
| land 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 re-
sponsibility for the war and proclaim
the victory of the Central Powers.
THE allied governments cannot ad-
NIT an affirmation doubly inexact
and which suffices to render sterile
all tentative negotiations.
THE allied nations have sustained
for thirty months war they did
everything to avoid. They have
shown by their acts their attachment
to peace. That attachment is as
strong today as 1t was in 1914 But
it is not upon the word of Germany,
after the violation of it's engagements,
that the peace broken by her may be
based
"a mere suggestion, without a
statement of terms, that negotiations
should be opened. is not an offer of
peace. The putting forward by the
Imperial government of a sham pro-
posal lacking all substance and pre-
cision would appear to be less an Of
| fer of peace than a war manoeuvre.
1t is founded on calculated misin-
depreciation of the character of the
struggle in the past, the present and
the future.
LAS 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-
clared by Germany and Austria-Hun-
gary.
''At the Hague conference 1t was
a German delegate who refused all
proposals for disarmament. In July,
1914, it was Austria-Hungary, who,
after having addressed to Serbia an
unprecedented ultimatum, declared
war upon her in spite of the salts
faction which had at once been ac-
corded. t
The Central empires then rejected
all attempts made by the Entente to
bring about a pacific solution of
;ot peff tot,
suggested a conference; France pro-
posed an international commission;
the Emperor of Russia asked the
! German emperor to go to arbitration,
and Russia and Austria Hungary
came to an understanding on the eve
of the conflict. But to all these efforts
| Germany gave neither answer nor eff
feet.
Belgium was invaded by an empire
which had guaranteed her neutrality
and which had the assurance to pro-
| claim that treaties were scraps of
paper and that necessity knows no
! law
| Eat the present moment these sham
! offers on the part of Germany rest on
I the war map of Europe alone, which
represents nothing more than a SUI
perficial and passing phase of the sit
| the belligerents. A peace concluded
| upon these terms would be only to
| the advantage of the aggressors, who.
| after imagining that they would reach
| their goal in two months, discovered
| after two years that they could never
| attain it.
LAS for the future, the disasters
| caused by the German declaration of
/ war and the innumerable outrages
! committed by Germany and her al
/ lies against both belligerents and neu-
| trails, demand penalties, reparation
| and guarantees. Germany avoids
| mention of any of these.
| I'm reality these overtures made by
! the Central Powers are nothing more
| than a calculated attempt to influence
| the future course Of the war and to
| end it by imposing a German peace.
| The object of these overtures is to
| create dissension in public opinion in
| the allied countries. But that public
| opinion in the allied countries. But
! that public opinion has, in spite of
! all the sacrifices endured by the Allies.
| already given it's answer with adj
mirable flrmness and has denounced
! the empty pretence of the declaration
| of the enemy powers.
'They have the further object Of