The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-21
WILSON SPEAKS FOR ALLIES.
LANSING ISSUES STATEMENT
IMMEDIATELY ON RECEIPT
CE DOCUMENT.

cs DOCUMENT.
since Central Powers Have Been
Definitely Told How They May End
War Only One Reply Could be
Made to Last Cornmunication-No
Lack OF Understanding.
Washington, Sept. 16.-The United
States, as was fully expected, has un-
eonditionally rejected Germany
peace feeler. In doing so the gov
ernment has spoken for all the CO
befhgerents.
Almost Immediately after receiving
the Austrian, governments note from
the minister from Sweden, Mr.. EKen-
sren, Secretary Lansing tonight IS
sued this formal statement:
ct am authorized by the presloehS
to state that the following Will oe tne
reply of this government to the Aus
1ro-Hungarian note proposing an un-
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-
sion of the imperial Austro-Hungar
ian government It has repeatedly
and with entire candor stated the
terms which the United States wouio
consider and can and will entertain
no proposal for conference upon
a matter concerning which 1t mas
made its position and purpose SO
plain"
Mr.. Lansing's statement was given
: out within half an hour after he had
received the Austrian proposal. II
would have been Forthcoming almost
Immediately upon the delivery OF the
Austrian note had it not been foano
necessary in order to avoid the pos
sibility Of grave error to make a care
full comparison between the omclai
) text and that which was received IN
press dispatches last night from Am
sterdam.
Thus emphasis was added to the
sdechnation, il any were needed; the
euSckness Of the reply, indicating the
existence of no shadow Of doubt in
the mind Of the administration as TO
what it should be. AS soon as Mr,
Iansing's reply can be put into form
st will be handed to the Swedish min
lister for transmission to Austria
The Swedish legation notified> the
State department early in the after
noon that it had received the note
and that it would be presented as
soon as it could be decoded anc
translated from French. This con-
sumed several hours and it was not
until $40 o'clock that Mr.. Ekengren
appeared He remained with the
secretary only two minutes.
J There is some reason to believe
that the secretary acted with this un-
.precedented promptness in matter
of such great import with the design,
not only to indicate clearly the pc
ss8tion Of the United States govern
rnent bat perhaps to anticipate ani
prevent as far as possible newspaper
discussion OF the Austrian proposition
4 which might convey to the enemy
misleading impression that there was
any considerably element In the Init
ea states willing to. consider a nego-
dated fpeace, such as the "non-bind-
ing discussions proposed by Austria,
might develop. =
.tAlso, sit, is understood there was a
purpose TO sound the note which en-
tente powers might repeat in making
their own answers. All these powers
had gone on record formally as ac-
eepting the conditions of peace laid
down by President Wilson as their
own.
While no reference to It was made
IL the reply which the United States
government IS making to Austria, il
is known that one Of the most OBJ
jeetionable features Of Baron Bu-
rian's proposition was the secrecy
suggested for the non-binding con-
ferences It was realizing by officials
here that the purpose was to barter
away the rights of various nationali-
ties in star chamber proceedings that
the victims would have no knowledge
Of their fate until it was beyond re-
caA. This system Of barter was par
ticularly denounced by President Will
son in one Of his speeches.
That the German people them
selves were to be kept in the dark by
the military masters and prevented
from having voice in the peace
which was to be imposed upon them
was regarded as an assured fact
There has been some apprehension
in administration circles Of a COM
bination of great financial interests,
that know no nationality, and fear
the destruction Of all wealth and bus
mess by the spread of Bolshevik ideas
might in some way be behind this
movement to bring about peace
and terminate the war before it had
been. fought to clear decision.
There is no such apprehension Of
the part of the administration Of a
cataclysm which will bring down all
civilized institutions and instead the
general staff has given every assur-