The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-12-24

Amsterdam, December GA dis
patch received here from Brest-Li-
tovsIs, Russia, dated Saturday, says:
tsToday a. o'clock in the after
noon the pc ce negotiations were be-
gun at solemn sitting. The meet
ing was attended by the following DEL
egates:
Germany: DR. Richard Won Kuehl-
mann, foreign minister; Herr Won
Rosenberg, Baron Won Hoch, General
Hoffman and Major Brinckmann.
austria Hungary: Count Czernin,
foreign minister; Herr Won Mercy,
Freiherr Won Wiser, Count Collerda,
Count osaky, Field Marshal Won CHS
ceries, Lieutenant Polarny and Maj.
Won Gluise.
Bulgaria: Minister Popoff, Former
Secretary Cosseff. Postmaster General
stoyanovich, Colonel Gantjiff and DR..
"a nasta soft.
Turkey: Former Minister Of Foreign
Affairs Nessimy Bey, Ambassador Hak-
XII, Under Foreign Secretary Hekmit
Bey and General Zekki Pasha.
Russia: Joffe Kamineff. Bisenko
Pokrosky, Karaghan Lubinski. Welt
man Pawlowich, Admiral A1tvater,
General Tumorrl, Colonel Rokki, Col
onel Zeplett and Captain Lipsky.
prince Leopold of Bavaria, as COM
mander in chief of the German forces
in the east, welcomed the delegates and
invited Haiku Pasha, as the senior
delegate, to open the conference. Haiku
Pasha after an expression of de-
sire for a satisfactory result, declared
the negotiations formally open and
proposed DIR. Won Kuehlmann as the
presiding officer. The German foreign
minister was unanimously elected
chairman"
Won KUEHLMANN SPEAKS
..The most important speech before the
delegates was made by DR.. Richard Won
Kuehlmann, the German foreign mihis-
ter He said:
1.-The purpose Of this memorable meet
ing is to terminate the war between the
central powers and Russia and re-
establish a state Of peace and friendship.
In view of the situation 1t will be I'M
possible in the course of these dehDer-
ations to prepare an instrument OF
peace elaborated in it's smallest details.
What / have in mind is to fix the most
important principles and conditions upon
which peaceful and neighborly inter-
course, especially in the cultural and
economic sense, can be speedily resumed
ana also to decide upon the best means
OF healing the wounds caused by the
war.
GUIDING SPIRIT
esOur negotiations will be guided by
the spirit of peaceable humanity and
mutual esteem. They must take into
account on the one hand, what has
become historical, in order that we may
not lose our footing on the firm ground
of facts, but on the other hand they
must be inspired by the great and new
leading motive which has brought us
here together.
SIT is an suspicious circumstance
that the negotiations open within sight
OF that festival which for centuries past
has promised peace on earth, good will
To men, enter upon the negotiations
with the desire that our work may make
speedy and prosperous progress
"The German foreign minister pro-
posed the following rules, which We're
adopted:
QUESTION OF PRECEDENCE
..0uestions Of precedence will be de-
cided according to the alphabetical list
of the represented powers.
.Plenary sittings will be presided ovel
bv the chief representative OF each o.
the five sewers in rotation. The follow
ing languages may be used In the de-
bate: German. Bulgarian, Russian ant
Turkish.
Questions interesting only part OF thu
represented powe@'s may be discussed
separately
Official reports of the proceedings
will be drafted jointly.
s'At Won Kuehmann's suggestion thu
chief Russian delegates stated the chic
principles OF the Russian peace pro
gramme in long speech, which coin
uided on the whole with the we'll know
resolutions Of the workmens and sol
diers' deputies.
RUSSIAN TERMS
The Russian terms include: First. nj
compulsory annexation of territory tax
en- curing the war and speedy evacua
tom Of such territory; second, that po
litifal independence shall be restored t
All nations deprived OF independence b
N TVS fortunes Of war; third. that nationa
] groups not independent before the wa
& Y shall decide by referendum Whethe
" 4 they shall become independent or Civ
{ their allegiance to some power: fourth
where mixed nationalities occupy an
\ territory the rights of the minority sha
+ be defended by separate law assurin
educational freedom and administrativ
autonomy, II possible; fifth. no belliger
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