The Benson signal., 1917-09-29
CLEAR WAY FOR PEACE.
GERMANY AND AUSTRIA READY
FOR SETTLEMENT OF WAR.
Replies to Vatican Express Hope That
All Beliigerents Will Come to View
Pontiff's Proposal az Basis for
Negotiations.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.

been received here, "cherishes a live
ly desire" that the appeal may meet
with success. Emperor William, the
German note says, has been following
the efforts of the pope toward peace
for a considerable time with high re-
spect.
The reply adds that the effort Of
the pope to pave the way to- an un-
derstanding might most surely be
reckoned to have sympathetic recep-
tion from the whole-hearted support OF
the German Emperor, since he has re-
garded it as his principal and most
sacred task to preserve the blessings
of peace for the German people and
the world
The text of the reply reads:
Herr Cardinal: Your eminence has
been good enough, together with your
letter Of Aug. 2, to transmit to the
Kaiser and King, my most gracious
master, the note Of his holiness, the
pope, in which his holiness, filled with
t grief at the devastations Of the world
war, makes an emphatic peace appeal
to the heads Of the belligerent peo-
pies. The Kaiser-King has deigned to
acQuaint me with your eminence's let
ter and to intrust the reply to me.
"His majesty has been following for
a considerable time with high respect
and sincere gratitude his holiness ef-
forts in a spirit Of true impartiality
to alleviate as far as possible the suf-
ferings of the war and to hasten the
end of hostilities.
"The Kaiser sees in the latest step
of his holiness fresh proof Of his noble
and humane feelings and cherishes a
lively desire that for the benefit OF
the entire world the papal appeal may
meet with success.
"The effort of Pope Benedict is to
pave the way to an understanding
amongst all peoples and might more
surely reckon on a sympathetic recep-
tion and the whole-hearted support
from his majesty, seeing that the
Kaiser, since taking over the govern
ment, has regarded it as his principal
and most sacred task to preserve the
blessings of peace for the German peo-
pie and the world.
"In his first speech from the throne
at the opening of the German Reichs-
tag on June 25, 1888, the Kaiser prom
ised that his love Of the German army
and his position toward it should
never lead him into temptation to cut
short the benefits Of peace unless war
were necessity, forced on us by an
attack on the empire or its allies.
"The German army should safe
guard peace for us and should peace,
nevertheless, be broken, it would be
in a position to win it with honor.
The Kaiser has, by his acts, fulfilled
the promise he then made in twenty
six years of happy rule, despite prov
ocations and temptations.
"In the crisis, which led to the pres
ent world conflagration, his majesty's
efforts were up to the last moment
directed towards settling the conflict
by peaceful means. After the war had
broken out, against his wish and de-
sire, the Kaiser, in conjunction with
his high allies, was the first solemnly
to declare his readiness to enter into
peace negotiations. The German peo-
pie supported his majesty in his keen
desire for peace.
Germany sought within her ma
tional frontier the free development
of her spiritual and material posses
sions, and outside the imperial terri
tory unhindered competition, with ma
tions enjoying equal rights and equal
esteem. 1
"The free play of forces in the world
in peaceable wrestling with one an
other would lead to the highest per-
fecting of the noble human posses
sions. Disastrous concentrations of
events in the year 1914 absolutely
broke off all hopeful course of devel-
opment and transformed Europe into
a bloody battle arena"
Amsterdam. - Peace would come
from the recent proposals Of Pope
Benedict If the belligerent nations
would enter into negotiations in the
sense of the pontiff's suggestions, En-
peror Charles of Austria Hungary
says in his reply to the Vatican note
The Emperor sees in the pope's peace
plan a suitable basis for starting nego-
tiations toward a just and lasting
peace, and expresses the hope that
the nations opposing his own may be
animated by the same idea.
The Austrian emperor admits that
the future arrangement of the world
must be based on the elimination of
armed force and on the rule Of inter-
national justice and legality.
Austria-Hungary's ruler received
the pontiff's note with thankful
heart and with an expression of hope
that the pontiff's efforts may lead to
the realization Of the emperor's de-
sire for a lasting and honorable peace
for all parties.
Freedom of the seas is one of the
peace hopes Of Emperor Charles in or
der that heavy material burdens could
be taken from the nations of the earth
and new sources of prosperity opened
to them.
Another Draft Call Predicted.