Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-09-16


has made s. definite peace OIL
fer 10 BeIgsuA, according 10
information received here.
Amsterdam. sept l5--Ihe Aus
tro-HungaTian government has in
vited all belliEe-euJ governments
TO enter into Don-biuu5Dg discus
siOns at some neutral meeting place
with q view to bring about peace,
The holy see and all neutral ma
tons also Will Be notified An Off
ciaI statement from Vienna, making
the above announcement, has been
received here.
The note in which AUStria-Huu-
gay invites b=llEeEEIts to a con-
fer-Hc for discussion of the posi-
biiitss OF peace was despatched BY
Baron BUriau. the ausEO-Hung gar
ian foreign minister, on the order
OF Emperor Charles, the Cologne
Voiks Zeiung declares
Hun Cher Meet.
An important conference Of lead
ers of the majority parties Of the
.=reichst4g was heid Sunday with
reference To the Austrian peace
note. taIaEraus from Berlin today
report
According to some of the reports
Count Won Hert-5ug. the imperial
chancellor, presided at the confer
ence which lasted two hours and
q half Admiral Won HintGe, the
foreign secretary, and Herr Walraf,
the minister of the interior, also
are stated TO have been present Il
is said the deliberations would be
continued today
No Surprise to PRris.
Paris, Sept IHavas. THE
Austrian proposal for = conference
Of beIligerents was not much of a
surprise iu Partisan political cen
ters, where il is considered to be a
consequence of the recent military
successes Of the allies The gen
eraI impression is that the new
peace offensive cannot be fruitful
Offers Rejeeted.
London. sept 12--Austria's inTi-
tatiou 10 The bclllseren-s to meet
in Informal peace discussions is in
clgnaut3y rejected by the London
morning spape-s- The note Is
seen by comm entators as q German
trick in which Austria is made the
Catspaw iu an eudeavOr to gain time
To enable the German high com
nland To reo-gau5Ze its shattered
troops The offer OF peace to Bel
GUM is regarded as q shameless in
suit
~The Austrian note does not
bring real peace any nearer" says
the Express preliminary condi-
tons TO peace have been stated over
and over again hv the allies and
there is NOT the raiutest suggestion
that '-a central powers viii agree
Il any ala Of these conditions They
who drew lie sword are scheming
70 save themselves from peTishing
by The s4.o-I The disingeuuous-
ness or tEe note betrays that'it was
written fu W1helustasse. Berlin ~
Plan To Save Kaiser.
Eea.rve 90 the offer Of peace to
Belgium the Express says: This
l. another Bresr-Lttoysk scheme
aud par Of the same plan for pre-
serving tle power of the HohenzOl-
lerns
After referring 30 the sinking Of
he Galway Castle as coincidence
OF -ae gfer of peace the Newspa-
Per says- 1.-THE allied peoples viii
not shake hands. They VIII not be
friends nor viii they agree to any
hoie-iu-tte-roruer negotiations De
nocracy now IS at the helm OF the
worlds affairs. I5litarism is tot
terldg and II the German people are
H. save themselves from falling
With it tley must insist on the pre-
Am.nary conditions which alone
make useful talk possible"
Our peace terms have been made
ahaaaaLtIy clear says the Post.
When Germany and her depend
eHts are ready to accept them they
can let us know. There viii he no
abatement 10 them. Germany must
De beaten and must recognize she is
beaten Until then her suggestions
1or peace conferences are not TO be
regarded any more than the crack
Ing of thOrns under "a pot
Favored Only BY Pacifist.
The pacific Daily News is the sole
exception 20 the prevalent COM
Aent Anticipating general re
lection Of the Austria proposals fl
rays that responsible, sober-mindeh
men should nevertheless face the
Proposals squarely The newspaper