Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1918-01-08
RUSSIAN NEGOTIATIONS.

agreements being made in the open.
RUSSIAN NEGOTIATIONS.
Regarding the Russo German par
lours at Brest- Litovsk the president
said the incident is full of significance
and perplexity."
Upon the spirit and intentions of the
German reichstag resolution of last
july and the spirit and intention of
the liberal leaders and parties of Ger
many depends the peace of the world
he intimated.
But il was not in answer to German
requirements for war aims, SO much
as in response TO thrilling and more
compelling voice of the Russian people"
that the president laid down his basis
for international security.
TEXT OF ADDRESS.
. The presidents address follows:
Gentlemen of the congress. once
more, as repeatedly before, the spok es-
men of the central empires have indi-
Gated their desire to discuss the OBJ
jects of the war and the possible basis
of Il general peace. Parleys have been
in progress at Brest Litovsk between
in progress at Brest Litovsk be-
tween Russian representatives and
representatives of the central powers
to which the attention of all the bel
ligerents have been invited for the
purpose of ascertaining whether it may
be possible to extend these parleys
into a general conference with regard
to terms of peace and settlement
The Russian representatives pre-
sented not only a perfectly definite
statement of the principles upon which
they would be willing to conclude
peace, but also an equally definite pro-
gram of the concrete application of
those principles. The representatives
of the central powers. on their part,
presented an outline of settlement,
which, il much. less definite, seemed
susceptible of liberal Interpretation I'M
til their specific program of practical
terms was added.
NO CONCESSIONS AT ALL.
THAT program proposed no conces-
sions at all either to the sovereignty of
Russia or to the preference of the pop
ulations with whose fortunes it dealt,
but meant in a word, that the central
empires were to keep every foot of ter
ritory their armed forces had occu-
pied-eVery province, every CITY, every
point of Nantage-as a permanent ad-
I dition to their territories and their
power. 1t is a reasonable conjecture
that the general principles of settle
ment which they at first suggested
! originated with the more liberal
| statesmen of Germany and Austria.
| the men who have begun to feel the
| force of their own peoples thought
and purpose, while the concrete terms
of actual settlement came from the
military leaders who have no thought
but to keep what they have got The
negotiations have been broken off. The
Russian representa- tives were sincere
and in earnest. They cannot entertain
such proposals of conquest and dom
nation.
SITUATION SIGNIFICANT.
THE whole incident is fun of sig
nificancc. 1t is also full of perpleXity.
| With whom are the Russian repre-
sentatiVcs dealing? For whom are the
representatives of the central empires
speaking? Are they speaking for the
majorities Of their respective parlia-
ments or for the minority parties that
military and imperialistic minority
which has so far dominated their
whole policy and controlled the affairs
| of Turkey and of the Balkan states
which have felt obliged to become their
/ associates in this war? The Russian
representatives. have insisted. very
/ justly, very wisely and in the true
spirit of modern democracy, that the
/ conferences they have been holding
with the Teutonic and Turkish states
men should be held within open, not
/ closed doors al haS
/ been audience, as was desired.
ITO whom have we been listening,
/ then? To those who speak the spirit
and intention of the resolutions of the
German reichstag of the ninth of July
last. the spirit and intention of the
| Liberal leaders and parties of Ger
many or those who resist and defy
that spirit and intention and insist
upon conquest and subjugation? And
are we willing, in fact to both. UNI
reconciled and open and hopeless con-
| tradiction? These are very serious
and pregnant questions. Upon the an
| swer to them depends the peace of the
world.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
But whatever the result of the par
j ieys at Brest- Litovsk, whatever the
/ conclusions of counsel and of purpose
/ in the utterances of the spokesman of
! the central empires. they have again
attempted to acquaint the world with
! their objects in the war and have
again challenged their adversaries TO
say what their objects are and whay
sort of settlement they would deem
| just and satisfied. There is no good
! reason why that challenge should not
be responded to and responded to with
the utmost candor. We did not await
for 1t. Not once, but again and again.
We have laid our whole thought and
purpose before the world. not in gem
cral terms only, but each time with
/ sufficient definition to make it clear
what sort of definite terms and settle
ment must necessarily spring out of
! them.
Within the last week Mr. Lloyd
/ George has spoken with admira BILE
Z H., l..