New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-10
But He Says That Wilson
Shows Signs of I'm
portant Progress"
u. S. Won't Affect
Outcome, He Ayers
Austrian Foreign Minister
Questions Allied Policy Re-
garding Small Peoples

AMSTERDAM, Dec. 9.-Thc deciara-
ton of war against Austria-llungary
By the United States, while painful
TO the empire, will not affect the
events of the war, in the opinion OF
Count Czcrniu, the Austro-liungarian
Foreign Minister, whose speech last
Tuesday is quoted by the Vienna cor
respondent OF the Berlin "Iases-
zcitung." Count Czcrnin is quoted as
having said:
president Wilson's speech is in
many respects incomprchensiblc and
unclcar, but it still marks step for
ward i'm the Presidents manner OF
thinking. at least in one direction,
when he SAYS: we IN no wise desire
20 harm Austria-Iiungary, and it is
none Of our affair to concern our
selves with institutions and peoples
signs of Progress" in Wilson
THE President shows signs of max
ing important progress which We must
recognize and which it is to our in
tercst to nail down. The right OF
celf-determination by a nation is a
catch phrase given different interpre-
tations by various statesmen. We find
il first used by the Entente at the be
ginning of the war as their reason
for taking up arms 20 protect small
states like Serbia and Montenegro
from violence by the Central Powers.
an a note addressed TO the bellig-
erents in December. 1916, President
Wilson still held to be the one prin-
ciple Of his peace aims the safeguard
ing OF the rights Of small states. Sub
sequently he supplemented this with
the formula that he is waging war for
the liberation from foreign domination
OF Italians, Serbians. Rumanians,
Czcchs and Slovaks. This protection
for small nations has receded into the
background, TO be replaced by plans for
the forcible separation from the mon
archy of certain nationalities, without
granting the latter the right of self
determination Of their future
Calls War Defensive
Replying 10 a question asked by
Count Andrassy regarding the Austro-
Hungarian agreements with Germany
on war aims. Count Czernin is quoted
in a Reuter- dispatch from Budapes;
as having replied at meeting of the
Committee on Foreign hff2irs:
1--WE are at one with Germany on the
basis Of n defensive war. which found
undivided approval i'm this assembly,
and which was laid down in the Ger
man Reichstag as the guiding line for
the war Foreign Minister Won Kuehl-
mann, in his last speech, stated very
clearly and exactly what these aims
were when he said that Alsace-Lor-
raine was the only obstacle to peace.
When we compare our situation
with that Of Germany, of course. we
should not forget that in certain re-
spects we are in better position than
they are. We have practically our en-
tire territory in our hands, whereas
Germany's colonies to-day are in the
hands Of the enemy"
Andrassy Urges "Just" Peace
A dispatch received here from Buda-
pest says that Count julius Andrassy.
former Premier. in an address to the
Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hun
garian delegation. said recently:
peace must be honest and just. Con-
quest would be contrary to the vital
interests OF the monarchy; neverthe-
less. this war must not end without
our insuring our strategic interests.
1--WE cannot do without Mount Low
cen. which dominates Cattaro, because
it makes possible the defence OF Cat
taro and the coast. II also would be a
mistake to leave the possession OF
Avlona to the Italians. We have in our
hands as a pawn large regions OF Italy