The Elbert County tribune., 1918-10-25
WILSON'S REPLY TO PEACE PLEA
SOUNDS kNELL TO hAPSsuRG
RULE IN AUSTRIA.
TEXT OF LANSING NOTE
CONCESSIONS TO PEOPLE OF
DUAL MONARCHY COME TOO
LATE, SAYS REPLY.

washington, OCT. 2l-Frlday Will
live in history as the birthday of q
new nation, whose soldiers are scat
tered over the entire globe, whose
capital is thousands OF miles away
from the motherland. but which is
fighting the fight of the allied nations
and the United States. The Czecho-
Slovak state is the new nation and its
declaration of Independence. drawn up
by the national council, was made pub
lie in Washington and Paris Oct. is.
ngton.-President Wilson has
answered the peace note of Austria
Hungary with a declaration that the
Austro- Hungarian government must
satisfy the national aspirations of its
own people and that they. the people,
shall be the judges of their rights and
destinies.
The note, as transmitted from Sec
retary of State Lansing to the Swedish
minister. said:
Il have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your note OF the 7th
instant, in which you transmit com
munication from the imperial and
royal government of Austria Hungary
to the President.
Il am now instructed by the Presi-
dent to request you to be good enough,
through your government. to convey
to the imperial and royal government
the following reply:
1.-The President deems it his duty
to say to the Austro-Hungarian gov
ernment that he cannot entertain the
present suggestions of that govern
ment because of certain events of ut
most importance which, occurring
since the delivery OF his address of
Jan. last, have necessarily altered
the attitude and responsibility of the
government OF the United States
Among the fourteen terms of peace
which the President formulated at
that time occurred the following:
'Tenth-The peoples of Austria
Hungary whose place among the ma
tions we wish to see safeguarded and
assured, should be accorded the freest
opportunity of autonomous develop
ment.'
-'Since that sentence was written
and uttered to the Congress of the
United States the government of the
United States has recognized that
state of belligerency exists between
the Czecho-Slovaks and the German
and Austro-Hungarian empires and
that the Czecho-Slovaks' national
council Is a de facto belligerent gov
ernment clothed with proper author
lity to direct the military and political
at has also been recognized in the
fullest manner the justice of the ma
tionalistic aspirations of the Jugo-
Slavs for freedom.
1.-The President is, therefore, no
longer at liberty to accept mere "au-
tonomy" of these peoples as basis of
peace, but is obliged to insist that they
and not he shall be the judges of what
action on the part of the Austro-Hun-
garian government will satisfy their
aspirations and their conception of
their rights and destiny as members
of the family of nations
The text of the Austrian note to the
President said:
THE Austro-Hungarian monarchy
which has waged war always and sole
ly as a defensive war and repeatedly
given documentary evidence of its
readiness to stop the shedding of blood
and arrive at a just and honorable
peace, hereby addresses itself to his
lordship. the President of the United
States of America, and offers to con-
clude with him and his allies an armis-
tiec on every front on land, at sea and
in the air, and to enter Immediately
upon negotiations toward peace for
which the fourteen points in the mes
sage of President Wilson to Congress
of Jan. s. 1918, and the four points
contained in President Wilson's ad-
dress on Feb 12. 1918, should serve as
the foundation and in which the view
points declared by President Wilson
in his address OF Sept 81. 1918, will
also be taken into account