The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-09-16

knOWl0Qge OF the uOly Bee III opoSAoA
note, and an appeal thereby made to
the popes interest in peace. Further
more. the governments OF the neutral
states have been acquainted with the
step taken.
"The constant close accord which
exists between the four allied powers
warrants the assumption that the al
lies of Austria Hungary, to whom the
| proposal Is being sent in the same
manner. share the views developed in
the note"
The official telegram proceeds to
say that the note has been drawn up
in French and runs as follows:
"The peace offer which the powers
of the quadruple alliance addressed to
their opponents on Dec. IL, 1916. and
the conciliatory basic ideas of which
they have never given up, signifies
despite the rejection which it exper-
fenced an important stage in the his
tory of this war. In contrast to the
first two and a half years, the ques-
ton of peace has from that moment
been the center of European eye. OF
world discussion, and dominates 1t IN
ever-increasing measure.
almost all the belligerent states
have in turn again and again express
sed themselves on the question or
peace, its prerequisites and conditions.
The line of development of this dis
cussion, however, has not been uni
form and steady The basic stand
point changed Under the influence OF
the military and political position, and
70
to a tangible general result that could
be utilized.
Believes Views Are Changed.
ut is true that, independent of all
these concilia tons, 1t can be stated
that the distance between the con-
ceptions of the two sides has grown
somewhat less; that despite the indis-
putable continuance of decided and
hitherto unbridged differences, par
tial turning from many of the most
extreme concrete war aims is visible
and a certain agreement upon the
relative general basic principles of a
world peace. In both camps there is
observable in wide classes of the pop
ulation a growth of the will to peace
and understanding. Moreover. COM
pa rison of the reception of the peace
proposal of the powers of the quad
ripple alliance on the part of their OPP
ponents with the later utterances of
responsible statesmen of the latter as
well as Of the nonresponsible but, in
political respect, nowise uninfluential
personalities, confirms this impress
sion.
while. for example. the reply of
the allies to President Wilson made
demands which amounted to the dis
memberment of Austria-Hungary, to
a elimination and a deep internal
transformation Of the German empire.
and the destruction of Turkish Euro
pean ownership, these dema nds, the
realization of which was based on the
supposition of an overwhelming VIC
tory, were later modified in many de-
clarations from official entente quar-
tiers, or in part we're dropped.
Recalls Baifour's Words.
Thus, in a declaration made in the
British house Of commons year ago.
Secretary Balfour expressly recognized
that Austria Hungary must itself solve
it international problem. Premier
Lloyd George declared at the begin
ming of this year that it was not one
of the allies war aims to partition
Austria Hungary, to rob the Ottoman
empire of it's Turkish provinces, or to
reform Germany internally. 1t may
also be considered symptomatic that in
December. 1917, Mr. Balfour categoris-
ally repudiated the assumption that
British policy had ever engaged for
the creation Of independent states out
of the territories on the left bank of
the Rhine
THE central powers leave it In no
doubt that they are only waging a war
Of defense for the integrity and the
security of their territories.
Far more outspoken than in the
domain of concrete war aims has the
rapproachment Of conceptions pro-
ceeding regarding those questioning
line upon basis of which peace shall
be concluded and the future order of
Europe and the world built up. In
this direction President Wilson in his
year has formulated principles which
have not encountered contradiction on
the part of his allies and the far
reaching application of which is likely
to meet with no objection on the part
vi Juc pOWcIS vi Tic all
ance also, presupposing that this appli-
cation is general and reconcilable with
the vital interests of the states con-
cerned.
Basic Aims not Enough.
ut is true, is must be remembered,
that an agreement on general princi-
pies is insufficient, but that there re-
mains the further matter of reaching
an accord upon their Interpretation
and their application to individual con-
crete war and peace questions.
ITO an unprecedented observer there
can be no doubt that in all the belliger-
ent states, without exception, the de-
sire for a peace of understanding has
been enormously strengthened; that
the continuance in increasingly spread
ing; and that the further continuance
of the bloody struggle must transform
Europe into ruins and into a state of
exhaustion that will mar its develop
ment for decades to come-and this
without apv p1aropton Of bo hy