The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-09-22
CENTRAL POWERS MAKE REPLYTO
VATICAN ENDORSING PEACE NOTE:
AUSTRIA READY FOR DISARMAMENT

The text of the German reply, writ
ten by a member of the Kaiser's en-
tourage, follows:
Herr Cardinals: 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 grief at the devastations of the
world war, makes an emphatic peace
appeal to the heads of the belligerent
peoples. The Kaiser-King has deign-
ed to acquaint me with your Emin-
ence's letter and to intrust the reply
to me.
His Majesty has been following for
a considerable time with high respect
and sincere gratitude his Holiness eff
forts, in a spirit of true impartia1ity.
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 feel
ings, and cherishes a lively desire
that, for the benefit of the entire
world, the Papal appeal may meet
with success.
Lie clIOIL u IOp6 bGn0O1cL IS To
pave the way to an understanding
among all peoples and might more
surely reckon on a sympathetic re-
ception and the Whole hearted sup
port 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
people and the world. In his speech
from the throne at the opening of the
German reichstag on June 20, 1888
the kaiser promised that his love of
the German army and his position to-
ward 1t should never lead him into
temptation to cut short the benefits
of peace unless war were a necessity
forced upon US by an attack on the
empire or its allies. The German
army should safeguard peace for us
and should peace, nevertheless be
broken, it would be in "a position to
win it with honor. The kaiser has,
Sby his acts, fulfilled the promise he
then made in 26 years of happy rule,
despite provocations and temptations.
In the crisis which led to the
present world eonf1agration his ma
jestys efforts were up to the last mo-
ment directed towards settling the
conflict by peaceful means. After
the war had broken out against his
wish and desire, the kaiser in con-
junction with his high allies, was the
! first solemnly to declare his readiness
to enter into peace negotiations. The
German people supported his majesty
in his keen desire for peace.
Germany sought within her nation
al frontier the free development of
her spiritual and material possessions,
and outside the imperial territory I'M
|, hindered competition with nations en-
/ joying equal rights and equal esteem.
The free play of forces in the world
in peaceable wrestling with one an
other would lead to the highest per-
fecting of the noblest human pos
sessions. Disastrous concentration
of events in the year 1914 absolutely
broke off all hopeful course of devel-
opment and transformed Europe into
| a bloody battle arena.
| Approaching the importance of hi,
| Holiness declaration, the imperial
government has not failed to submit
| the suggestions contained therein to
| earnest and scrupulous examination
| Special measures, which the govern
| ment has taken in closest contact with
representatives of the German peo-
l-ple for discussing and answering the
| questions raised prove how earnestly
it desires, in accordance with his
Holiness desires, and the peace reso-
luton of the reichstag on July 49,
to find a practical basis for just
and lasting peace.
1.-The imperial government greets
with special sympathy the leading
idea of the peace appeal, wherein his
| In1ir oil Wv fhn
viction that in the future the mater.
ia1 power of arms must be superseded
blythe moral power of right. We
are also convinced that the sick body
of human society can only be healed
by terrifying its moral strength OF
right. From this would follow, ac-
cording to his Holiness view, the
simultaneous diminution of the armed
forces of all states and the institution
of obligatory arbitration for interna.
tional disputes.
1--WE share his Holiness\-iew thai
definite rules and a certain safeguard
lfor simultaneous AMI reciprocal linn
| itation of ornaments on land, on sea
and in the air, <as we'll as for the true
! freedom of the community and higf
seas, are the things, in treating which
the new spirit that in the future
should prevail. in International rela
lions should find hopeful expression
The task would then of itself arise
to decide International differences o
opinion, not by the use of armed
forces, but by peaceful methods es
pecially by arbitration whose hig1
peace producing effect we, togethe
with his Holiness, fully recognize.
"The imperial government will II
this respect support every propose
compatible with the vital interest o.
the German empire and people.
Germany, owing to her geographi
| cal situation and economic require
ments, has to rely on peaceful inter
course with her neighbors and will
| distant countries. No people there
| fore has more reason than the Ger
| man people to wish that instead O.
universal hatred and battle a concilia
tory fraternal spirit should prevail be
! tween nations.
/ eff the nations are guided by thi
spirit it will be recognized to thei
i advantage that the important thing Il
to lay more stress upon what unite
them in their relations. They will
also succeed in settling individual
points of conflict which are still I'm