The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-09-16
PEACE PROPOSALS
Continued from Page One-)

: ed1y may DO deduced from the ntteranc-
&c of RESPONSIBLE statesmen that the de-
; sire to reach an understan t1ng ana NOT
/ m decide the war exclusively by 1ofce
of arms Is also gradually beginning 10
! penetrate into allied states, save Tor
! some exceptions in the case OF olinoea
uar agitators. which are certainly no'
! to be estimated lightly.
| "The Austro- Hungarian government Is
aware thar after this deep reaching con-
yplsfcns which have been caused In the
life Of the peoples by the devastating Ell
: fects Of the world war 1t Wall NOT Dc
POSSIBLE to re-estabhs order In tho toI-
! +.rInp world at a single stroke. The
r1atn that leads to the restoration OF
! peacetul relntions between tho peoples
! is curt by hatred and embitterment. It 10
to,lsonne and wearisorne, yet II 1t Is our
! duty to tread this path-the path OF ne
! pottation-and If there are still such re-
! spousible factors as desire to overcome
! the opponent by military means ana TO
force the viii to victory upon him, there
! can, nevertheless, no. longer be aouot
| that this aim even az assuming that
it is atta1uablc. would first necessttate
further sanguinary and protracted stru9-
gle,
i "rRut even . later victorius peace VIII
no longer DO able to make good the con-
! sequences Of such pohcy-conssquenc-
es which win be fatal to al the states
and peoples Of Europe. The only peace
. which could Hghteously adjust the still
! divergent conceptions Of the opponents
would be a peace desired by NIL the peo-
pies. With this consciousness, and In
its unswerving endeavor to work in the
interests Of peace, the tro-Hungarian
povernmert now again. comes forward
. with a suggestion with the object OF
bringing about a direct discussion be-
tween the enemy powers.
! "The earnest Will to peace OF wide
Glasses OF the population OF all the
states who are Jointly suffering through
; the Wharf.-The ind1sputaol r1pToach-
! 1nent In individual controversial .ques-
! tions-as well as the moro conctltatory
atmosphere that is general, seems to the
| Austro- Hungarian government to give
certain guarantee that fresh step In
! tho interests Of peace, which also taxes
accounts of the past experiences IN this
: domain might at tho present moment,
offer the possibility Of success.
'sThe Austrian government has there
fore resolved to point out to all the bel
ngerents, friend and foe, path consid-
cred practicable by It and to propose to
/ them jointly to examine in free ex-
! change Of views whether those pr'e-requi-
! sites exist which would make the speedy
| Inauguration Of peace negotiations ap-
pear promi Using. To this end the Austro-
Hungarian government has today tnvit-
| ed the governments Of all the belltgcrent
states to q confidential and Unbtndlng
discussion at o neutral meeting place,
and has addressed TO them a note drawn
MP In this sense.
"This step has been brought to the
knowledge % the holy See In o specta!
, nc+e, and an appeal thereby made to the
rope's intereGt In Deace.
"Furthe:In the governments Of the
neutral states have been acquainted with
the step taken
"Fhe constant close accord which ex-
lists between the four allied powers war
rants the assumption that the aIhes of
Austria Hungary, to whom the proposal
is being sent IN the same manner
share the views developed in tho note"
The Official telegram proceeds to say
that the note has been drawn up In
French and runs IS follows:
. 1.-THE peace o1er which the powers OF
the quadruple alliance addressed to their
opponents on December II, 1916, and the
I couciNatory basic ideas Of which they
have never g1vcn up, signifies, despite
important stage in the history of this
war. In contrast to the first two and a
half war years, the question of peace
has from that moment been the certer
Of European eye, Of world discussion and
dominates It In ever increasing measure
almost all the belligcrent states have
IN turn again and again expressed them
selves on the question Of peace, its pre-
requisites and conditions. The line OF
development Of this discussion, however
has not been uniform and steady. The
basic standpoint changed under the in.
nuence Of the military and political 20
sittcn- and hitherto, at any rate, 1t has
not LED to tangible general result that
could be utilized.
cit Is true that, independent Of ali
these oscillations it can be stated that
the distance between the conceptions OF
the two rides, has, OF the whole. grown
somewhat less; that despite the indus.
putab1 continuance Of decided and hith-
erto unbridged differences, a partial
turning from many Of the most extreme
concrete wnr aims is visible and 4 GER.
tain agreement upon the relative general
basic principles Of world peace mani.
tests itself. IN both camps there is un.
doubleday observable In wide classes o,
the population q growth of the will tc
peace and understanding. Moreover :
comparison of the reception Of tho peace
proposarof the powers Of the quadrurlt
alliance on the part Of the opponents
with the later utterances Of responsible
statesmen Of the latter, as we'll as Of the
non-re1porsfble, but, In a political re-
spect, nowtse rnInfluential personalities
confirms this impression.
"Whne, for example, the reply Of tht
allies to President Wilson made g.
minds which amounted to the dismem
bermeut Of Austria-Hungary. to n dim
mutton ana n deep Internal transco r1na-
tion OF the German empire, and the de
struction OF Turkish European owner
ship. theao demands, the realization Of
! which was based on the suppositIon o.
, IN overwhelming victory, were later
modified IN many declarations from off
cial entente quarters, or in part were
dropped.
'cThus. in a declaration made in til,
British House Of Commons n year ago
Secretary Balfour expressly recognized
. that Austria Hungary must itself solve
its internal problems and that no one
could impose constitution upon Ger
many from the outside. Premier Lloyd
George declared at the beginning of this
Svcar that 1t was not one of this allied
war aims, to partition Austria-HuuEa
70 rob the Ottoman Empire Of its Turk
fish provinces or to reform Germany i'll
ternnlly. II may also be considered
symptowat!c that m December, 1917
Mr.. Ealfour catcgurically repudiated thc
assumption that British policy had eve;
engaged itself for tho creation of an in
dependent states out Of the territories
OH the left bank of the Rhine.
"Thc Central Powers leave II in NJ
doubt that they are only wagtEg 4 wal
~ Hnknnan fn integrity la