The sun., 1918-01-26
Capital Thinks Speeches
Are Intended for Home
Consumption.
ONE DOVETAILS OTHER
Contrast of Tones Is Result
of Different Conditions
in Empires.
INSINCERITY IS NOTED
Suggestions. Of settlement
Aimed at Sowing Discord
Among Allies.
ONE DOvETAILS OTHER
INSINCERITY IS NOTED
Special Despetch to TEE srs.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-While Pro0f-
dent Wilson and his advisers have a.
yet only cable reports Of so-callsd
peace speeches by the German Cham
cellor and the Austro-Hungarian For.
eign Minister. neither speech Is taken
seriously here. and no advance toward
peace is seen. Both speeches are r.
gardcd az typical Teuton efforts to keep
peace talk rife in eneRy countries and
at the same time placate the dema md for
peace at home.
The whole tenor Of the Teuton state
ments. their vagucness as to terms, was
expected here. Entente diplomats char
acterized the statements as Teuton trick
cry in another form and said frankly
that they we're valueless 50 far as bring
Ing peace nearer We concerned.
The state Department has not re-
ceived official VERSIONS OF the speeches
and this explains why some officials
purposely refrained from studying the
press extracts "a cabled from Berlin and
Vienna via London. To appreciate the
true meaning Of the remark Of Count
Won Hertling. the German Chancellor. OF
the statement by Count Czernn, the
Austrian Foreign Minister. it is essen
tial 10 have the full text, 1t was ex-
planned
Two Points Cause Comment.
Two points referred to in the Tcuton
speeches evoked informal comment az
the State Department. One was with
respect to the GeUnan Chancellor's
statement that Germany was ready and
willing to dir cuss terms with representa-
nj tAA ErNNA tn xv,t, ntDnA
that this had been Germany's attitude
since year ago last December. Cor
niany's whole peace campaign is aimed
~ bringing about n conference prior TO
discussion OF specific terms. Officials
here have long regarded this as n
shrewd effort to bring about an end OF
the war on German terms and have,
therefore. consistently refused to enter.
tain the German suggestion.
The other point concerned this state
ment attributed to Count Czernin: II,
is obvious to me that an exchange Of
views between America and Austria
Hungary might form the starting point
for conciliatory discussion among all
states that have not yet entered the
peace negotiations"
officials here explained that il Austria
wished to make some definite peace pro
posal to the United States there was no
reason why that Government could not
do SO. 1t has open TO it several regular
channels. one being through the Swias
Minister in Vienna. No effort Of this
kind has been made. it was pointed out.
and until some actual move OF this kind
IL undertaken utterances such as Count
Czernin,s will not be taken seriously
here.
Regarding the design to affect the IN
ternal conditions Of Germany and Aus
tria, one official suggested that the strik-
ing differences Of tone In the two notes
the German being almost defiantly az
gressive. and the Austrian compromising
and insinuating. were calculated pre-
csely to meet the varying conditions in
the two empires
contrast Of Tones.
In Germany. strengt thened by the Rus
sian collapse, resulting in the transfer
of vast forces from the eastern to the
western front, the Miltaristic party Is
in the ascendency, and the Chancellor,
abandoning the Conciliatory attitude he
occupied when he resumed office, appar-
emily voices the will of the military
leaders
In Austria the working people are
reported in incipient rebellion and the
demands for peace at almost any price
the explanation found here for the For
eign Minister'S vague promises Of peace
without annexations or indemnities ami
his special bid for negotiations direct
with America.
IL IL noted. however, that the spepches
are interdependent. that Austria will not
negotiate without Germanys consent
and approval and that Germany gives
her sanction to what has been done In
Austria. Both spokesmen express con-
fldence in the success OF the peace nego-
tlations with Russia, in contrast to tn.
bitter denunciation OF the conduct of the
ieutohs by Leon Trotzky. the Bolsheyik
Minister for Foreign Affairs
This attitude officials and diploma,s
believe to be the result of appreheu.
sion that the confession at this moment
or the failure of the Brest-Litovsx nero-
tiatlons would exasperate the German
and Austrian publics beyond the safety
point.
In some quarters there was a diana
sition to find grain of hope in the
concession by both speakers that there
were points In the utterances OF Lloyd
George and President Wilson that mish
he acceptable to the Central Powers and
afford basis of further discussion, Rut
other officials insisted that this was only
another demonstration of the truth a,
President Wilson'S statement In his ad.
dress to Congress. that II was the prao
tico Of German diplomacy to misjead nv
declaring adherence to large princip,es
and then neutralixe them by insistence
upon details of quite another character,
Compliance 1. Improbable.
The present belief of the Officials Is
that there IL not the slightest probability