Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-01-04


man offers of peace, declare their re-
fusal to consider Germany's "insin-
cere and ineffective proposition for a
conference
Demands for reparation, as stated
in speeches by premiers of the allied
nations, are reiterated in the note.
Belgium, especially. seeks safeguards
for the future. The suggested con
ference, without conditions, is not a.
peace offer, the entente holds, but is
a war maneuver designed for it's effect
Oh home and neutral opinion. The
text Of the note follows.
"The allied governments of Belgium
France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan,
Mantenegro, Portugal, Rumania, Rus
sia and Serbia united for the defense
OF the liberty Of their peoples and
faithful to engagements taken not to
lay down their arms separately have
resolved to reply collectively to the
pretended propositions of peace which
were addressed to them on behalf Of
the enemy governments through the
Intermediary of the United States,
Spain, Switzerland and Holland. Be
fore making any reply the allied pow
ers 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.
No Peace Based on Word of Germany.
'"The allied governments cannot ad-
NIT an affirmation doub1y inexact and
which sufIices to render sterile all
tentative negotiation. The als8 / ma
tions have sustained for thirty onths
a war they dsd everything to avoid
They have shown by their acts theiJ
attachment to peace That attach
ment is as strong today as it 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 state
TieaE Of terms, that negotiations
shoss sssssE sssE nee ii i Ut IN offst. Of
peace The putting forward by the
Imperial government of d sham pro-
posai hacking all substance and pre-
cision would apepar to be less an offer
OF peave than a war maneuver. 1t is
founded on calculated misinterpreta-
tien OF the character of the struggle
in the past, the present and the fu-
ture.
AS 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.
Put War Blame on Teutons
"At The Hague conference it was al
German delegate who refused all pro-
posals for disarmament. In July, 1914,
it was Austria-Hungary wh5. after
having addressed to Serbia an unpre-
cedented ultimatum, declared war
upon her in spite of the satisfaction
which had at once been accorded.
The central empires then repect-
ed all attempts made by the entente
to bring about pacific solution of
a purely local conflict. Great Britain
suggested conference; France pro-
posed an international commission; /
the emperor of Russia asked the Ger.
man 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 Ger
many gave neither answer nor effect.
Belgium was invaded by an en-
oire which had guaranteed her neu-
.rality and which had the assurance]
% proclaim that treaties were scraps
If paper and that necessity knows
no law
At the present moment these sham
offers on the part of Germany rest
on the war map of Europe alone,
which represents nothing more than
! superficial and passing phase of the
situation and not the real strength
# the beiligerents A peace conclud-
ID upon these terms would be only to
he advantage of the aggressbrs, who.
lfter imagining that they would reach
heir goal. in two months. discoveredl
lfter two years that they could not
lttafn it.
"As for the future, the disasters
aused BY the German declaration Of
var and the innumerable outragesi
BY Germany and her allies
,gainst both belligerents and neutrals
lemand penalties. reparation and
Germany avoids mention
( any OF these.