Bisbee daily review., 1918-02-21
Austrian and German Leaders Place Ukraine Peace Pact dnd
 Russian Treaty Before People
Dr. von Seydler, Austrian Premier, Declares Central Powers Aim Only to Secure Large Grain Supplies.
rRY Revlew Leased Wirel

CBy Review Leased Wirel AMSTERDAM. Feb. z0.-The Aus trian premier, Dr. von Seydler. speak ing in the reichstag today. entered into Q lengthy discussion of the origin al treaty of peace with Ukraine and annourced a subseOEent treaty ap- pointing commission to define the frontiers of Ukraine and Cholm.
 "The Petrograd government" he said. has declared the state of war between Russia and Austria-Hungary at an end. and SO far as human judg ment can foresee a state of war will not again arise between these two countries"
 Will Supply Grain.
 Premier Seydler said that Ukraine was interested in supplying the cen tral powers with grain, for otherwise, these parts of the treaty which em- bodied the concessions of the central powers to Ukraine would lapse. It must not be forgotten that the whole of Russia, including the Uk- raine, was convulsed with civil war and that the difficulties of transport were extraordinarily great. Accord
 
 eign minister. anarchy was increasing in all parts of Russia.
 Our aims in all this turmoil" con tinued the premier. "can and will only be to do everything to provide our heroic population with foodstuffs which by reason of its long privations and its resolute perseverance it de- serves.
 Assisting Provinces.
 Responding to German cries of help from EsthOnia and Livonia. Ger many resolved to march further into the interior in order to save from cer- tain destruction those unhappy nation als living in those provinces. In full accord with our allies We decided not to participate in this military action. Our aim. therefore, remains what 1t was before-to bring help as speedily as possible. to the Austro-Hungarian nationals still on Russian soil"
 Dr. von Seydler announced that 2O,- 900 prisoners had already arrived from Russia and that negotiations would be resumed with the Petrograd govern ment for the exchange of prisoners.
 In explaining the appointment of the commission, the premier declared that the future of Chol mwould de pend upon race principles and the de .cision of the population. Russia, he said, had demanded for its territories the right of all peoples to self-de- termination, even to the extent of complete severance.
 Teutons Protect ukraine
 "We accepted this standpoint for the occupied territories" he continu- ed, "and all the negotiations at Brest- Litovsk were conducted on this basis. We recognized this right for the peo- ples of Lithuania. Courland and Po- land and no logical or moral ground could be discovered for depriving the Ukraineians of the right granted to other Russian peoples.
 The members of the Polish club cannot deny the existence of a large Ukrainian population in Cholm and that this nation has the right to be heard. I go farther and say it was the duty of the Austro-Hungarian gov ernment to conclude peace with the Ukrainians.
  was peace for the people. and the Austro-Hungarian peoples would never have understood if we had rejected tn 3 peace. or rejected the possibility of ob- taining wheat merely in order that Cholm in its entirety and uncondition- ally should fall to Poland. What would the empires reply have been if the foreign minister had returned and admitted that he had spoiled the chances of peace because he refused to the Ukrainian population of Cholm the same right to be heard as is pos sessed by the Polish part"
 Dr. von Seydler here quoted Presi- dent Wilson's phrase that peoples and provinces must not be transferred from one state of authority to anoth- or merely as pawns in a game, and continued:
 Peace Would Have Failed.
 Had we acted as the gentlemen of the Polish club demand. We should have not only have failed to conclude a peace with Ukraine, but should have severed the delicate threads. which may perhaps lead to a general peace and the voices raised in defense of such a policy would have been drown ed under a raging hurricane of indig- nation from all the Austrian races.
 "In view of these various considera- tions. must also emphatically reject certain insinuations which have been made concerning the relations be- twee Austria-Hungary and Germany"
 The premier's speech was received throughout with unusual demonstra- tions of approval. except from the Poles, who, however. remained calm, though showing occasional signs of dissent