Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-28
.SLAvS TOLD
PEACE PLAN
SUITS FOES
Austro : Hungarian Envoy
/ to Brest-LitOvsk Virtually
| Agrees to Terms, But
| Washington Officials Are
Suspicious.
EERMANY'S ACTIONS
BELLE SMOOTH TALK

ASSOCIATED Press Summary
Virtual acceptance Of the peace
terms offered by Russia was made
by the central powers in state
ment issued to the peace confer
ence Tuesday by Count Czernin,
the eAustro-Hunsarian foreign min
lister, provided Russia's allies also
recognize them and carry them
out honestly toward the central
powers.
The United States and the en-
tente allies up to this time have
not recognized the boisheviki gov
ernment or agreed to the terms
Russia proffered at the beginning
Of the Brest.Litovsk conference.
Recent utterances of responsible
allied leaders have expressed op-
position to a Germa n-made peace.
UkRANIANS GUARD FRONT.
London, Dec. 27.-Ukrainian
forces, according to report re-
ceived from Petrograd, have occu-
pied the headquarters Of the
fourth, eighth and eleventh armies
on the Rumanian and southwest
ern fronts. Those who resisted
were disarmed and quantity Of
guns and rifles was seized. The
Ukrainians have occupied the sta
! tion at BTailoff and disarmeds the
! - : q. =. Y =
4 telegram received in Petro-
Grad from Tomsk reports fighting
n lrkutsk, Siberia. Cossacks and
military cadets have engaged the
garrison there for two days with
alternating success.
Washington. d. c., Dec. 27.-The
conditions surrounding Count Ger
Inns proposals for basis OF peace
lause officials here to feel some ap-
for their sincerity. There
) great disposition to feel that the
,bject of the German plenipotentiar.
es is simply to protract the negotia-
Ions as long as possible without any
,xecution of an immediate peace
lgreement with the double purpose of
eading the German people to believe
hat their government really is desir.
nus of making peace and Of gaining
lme for the further strengthening OF
he German lines in the west.
CONDITIONS ARE IMPOSSIBLE.
One condition regarded as impos.
ible, for the present at least, is that
he adherent of all belligerents must
,e secured to the peace the Germans
re trying to make with Russia be.
pre it can become effective. This is
by demand for the re.
urn Of the German colonies now in
he possession Of Eussia's allies.
It can be stated authoritatively that
he position of the American govern
lent has not changed in any respect
nth regard to its determination to
uter into no agreement with a gov
Fnment which does not represent the
rec will Of the governed people. This
yould dispose Of any hope the Ger.
nans might have that the Russians
Duld induce America to subscribe to
he peace treaty which they are now
rying to arrange.
SILENT ON ALsAcE-LORRAlNE.
AS for the German colonies the
american government has never re.
orded itself on the subject and
lloyd George recently declared that
rs subject for the peace confer.
nee.
No provision is made in Count Ger.
inns terms for the return to France
4 Alsace-Lorraine, which is regarded
ere as condition that must be met
IS a preliminary to any peace agree
pent, an understanding declared by
resident Wilson in his message to
pngress.
In the light of the extraordinary
forts Germany has been making tC
Id these provinces of French inhabit
ats, it is believable there that Ger
lany may propose plebiscite of in
nbitants, relying upon the vote OF
herman soldiers and the imported
ierman people. but such a proposal
robably would be rejected by the
United States and her co-belligerents
SUSPICIOUS OF OFFER.
Apparently Belgium is promised
eeedom by Count Czernin if all the
ther German demands are met. But
ficials note there is a reservation
lmost inseparable from German di
lomacy. in the shape of 'guaran-
ees" which Germany requires to in
ure the execution of all these com
lcated factors of the peace treaty
irom public declarations of German
tatesmen and publicists. it is under
TODD that as guarantees" Germany
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