The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-09-19
WILSON REJECTS
AUSTR|A'S BID To
PEACE FARLEY
President Makes Quick Reply to
vienna'S Note.
HAS ALREADY STATED TERMS
Declares He Has Repeatedly GiVer
Conditions Upon Which U. S. Will
Consider Peace-Speaks for
All the Allies.

Washington, Sept. 17.-President
Wilson fatty rejected the Austro-Hun-
garian governments proposal for
peace parley.
His reply is perhaps without a pre-
cedent in history. 1t was made public
within half an hour after the Swedish
minister delivered the official text of
the note to the state department. The
presidents answer was Issued in the
form of a statement from Secretary of
State Lansing and reads as follows:
Presidents Reply to Austria.
81 am authorized by the president
to state that the following will be the
reply of this government to the Aus
rro-Hungarian note proposing an UNI
official conference of belligerents:
The government of the United
States feels that there is only one re-
ply which it can make to the sugges-
don of the imperial Austro-Hungarian
government. 1t has repeatedly and
with entire candor stated the terms
upon which the United States will con-
slider peace and can and will entertain
no proposal for a conference upon
matter concerning which it has made
its position and purpose so plain"
Speaks for Allied World.
The president, it is assumed, again
spoke for the allied world, and in so
doing wrote "Fins" to the Austrian
move. His answer, cOuched in the
plainest language, consisted of exactly
6S words as compared with the several
thousand words that made up the long
and ambiguous statement from Aus
tria
The message save for diplomatic
embellishments, was given over TO the
Swedish minister in exactly the same
terms as it appears above, for trans
mission TO Austria.
Saw Through Hun Trap.
Chronologlcally the answer consti-
tutes the fastest chapter in this coun-
try's war history, and there is a reason
for this. Ii is that the United States,
in common with its allies, saw through
the hypocrisy of the Austrian note and
the thin veneer that hardly hid Ger
many's hand in the proposal, and there
fore wished TO dispose Of ii as rapid
~ as possible.
1t was 6: 20 o'clock last night when
the Swedish minister, w. A. f. Eken-
gren, arrived at the state department
with the note. Two minutes later he
left the office of Secretary of State
Lansing, and 33 minutes later Mr.. Ian
sing gave an audience to newspaper
correspondents and made public the
presidents reply.
mo Talking in Working Hours"
Throughout the tabloid drama was
enacted in much the same manner as
desired by certain American citizen,
who sent a telegram to the White
House.
His message was addressed to the
president and said:
"Slncerely hope your answer to Aus
tria's peace proposal will be that we
Americans do not talk during working
hours"
The Presidents Terms,
These terms, referred to In the reply
dictated today 10 the Austrian note.
were clearly set out in President VIII
sons Fourth of July speech at Mount
Vernon, as follows:
"a. The destruction of every arbi-
trary power anywhere that can sepa-
rately, secretly, and Of its single choice
disturb the peace of the world; or If
It cannot be presently destroyed, at
least its reduction to virtual impo-
tenCe.
80. The settlement of every question,
whether of territory, of sovereign, of
economic arrangement of political re-
lationship, upon the basis of the free
acceptance of that settlement by the
people Immediately concerned and not
upon the basis of the material interest
or advantage of any other nation or
people which may desire a different
settlement for the sake of its own ex-
terror influence or mastery.
"3. The consent of all nations TO he
governed in their conduct toward each
other by the same principles of honor
and of respect for the common law Of
civilized society that govern the in
dividual citizens of All modern states
I'm their relations with one another; TO
the end that all promises and cove
nants may be sacredly observed. no
private plots or conspiracy Matched. no
selfish injuries wrought with impunity,
and a mutual trust established upon
the handsome foundation of mutual
respect for right.
"a. The establishment of an organ
ization of peace which shall make 1t
certain that the combined power of
free nations will check every invasion
of right and serve to make peace and
Justice the more secure by affordng "A
definite tribunal Of opinion TO which
all submit and by which every interna-
tlonal REIMBURSEMENT that cannot be
amicably agreed upon by the people
directly concerned shall be sanctioned"
Their Chance.