New Britain herald., 1917-08-15
LONDON SkEPTICAL
 ON PEACE MESSAGE
Editors Believe Movement Is Branded "Made in Germany
PESSIMISTIC AT PROSPECT
Judgment. Reserved Until Text of POpe's Communication Is Received Considered Acceptable.

but Terms As Outlined Are Not
 Considered Acceptable.
 London, Aug. 15.-Some of the morning newspapers refrain from commenting on the Pope's peace pro- posals while those which discuss them editorially attribute their gen. esis to Austria and either reject them absolutely or indicate belief that the text, when received, will show them | unacceptable. The Daily News which although firm supporter of the AL lies aims, has a decided pacifist lean ing, says that whatever the reasons which hitherto restrained the Pope from coming forward as an official champion of peace the long delay has materially impaired the advantages the Vatican originally possessed for disinterested intervention.
 Tt is not our business to pass Judgment upon a policy which ex- hausted itself in impotent sighs over the iniquities perpetuated in Belgium and imagined it possible to extinguish the world conflagration by a success sion of timid intrigues. The fact is whether it is reasonable to blame Benedict and his advisers therefore is another matter-consideratio of temporal and secular interest having so long stayed his hands, it is im- possible to accept the Pope's inter- vention now as dictated purely by the desire which animates all good and all sincerely religious men to end a horror which is destroying Europe.
 "The Pope's; proposals must be examined on their merits as strictly as if made by Chancellor Michaelis. President Wilson or Lloyd George"
 May Open Door of Peace.
 The Daily News thinks it fairly clear that the Pope's appeal was really inspired by Austria but main- tains that if His Holiness can really persuade the belligerents to state their conditions in concrete terms he will confer a great influence on man. kind, and if he can further persuade Germany to declare it's willingness to restore the independence of Belgium. Serbia and Rumania and withdraw from other invaded territories the door to peace will be open and a blank refusal by the Allies to nego- tiate on such basis would be almost unthinkable.
 The Daily Mail does not comment editorially, but in an introduction in it's news columns says the Pope's pro- posals are impossible and the scheme is really Austro-German.
 The Chronicle refers to the tra- ditional intimacy of Austria and the Vatican and the Austrian courts in- tense desire for peace and adds:
 The fact that the proposal comes imm ediately after expulsion of Rus sians from Galicia and Bukowina will not escape anybody who is in the habit of putting two and two together We may assume that the Pope acted at Austria's prompting In any case the Allies will have to refuse. No other course is open to them.'
 The Times while suspending final judgment until the text is available. says the proposals as described in the telegraph summaries are utterly in- admissible by the Allies. It expresses astonishme ent at the Vatican's alleged hope that the document will be favor ably received and lead to the not dis tant end of the war.
 ITO cherish any hope of this,'' says the paper, "betrays a complete ignor- ance of opinion of all the Entente countries and the United States. The whole tenor of the document bears the marks of German inspection,'' it says.
 AUTO THIEVES RAID TOWN.