The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-10-21
AUSTRIA GETS
COLD COMFORT
FROM WILSON
"PeopIe Must Rule" Is Kernel of
Answer Made to Country's
Peace Note.
FREEDOM BEFORE ALL THINGS
Austro-Hungarian Government Must
Satisfy National Aspirations of Its
Own People Before Peace
Conditions May Be
Considered.

Washington, Oct. 21.-President Will
son has rejected the Austrian offer to
conclude an armistfce and negotiate
peace. He declared that mere auton-
omy for Austrian nationalities was
not sufficient, but that they must have
liberty.
The reply was made by. Secretary
Lansing through the Swedish minister
in Washington. 1t calls attention to
the tenth condition of peace enunci-
ated by President Wilson on January
8, which says the people of Austria
Hungary should be accorded the freeSt
opportunity of autonomous develop
ment.
The note calls attention to the rec
ognition by the United States of the
Czecho-Slovaks' national council as a
de facto belligerent government, and
states that this country also has rec
ognized the justice of the nationalis-
tic aspirations of the Jugo-Slavs for
freedom
Text Of United States Note.
The text of the note handed to the
Swedish minister follows:
"Sir-I have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your note of the
seventh instant in which you transmit
communication of the imperial and
royal government Of Austria-Hungary
to the president. / am instructed by
the president to request you to be good
nh fhro1 oh ont
convey to the imperial and royal gov
ernment the following reply:
'The president deems it his duty to
say to the Austro-Hungarian govern
ment that he cannot entertain the pres
ent suggestions of that government be-
cause of certain events of utmost i'm
portance which, occurring since the de-
livery of his address of the eighth Of
January last, have necessarily altered
the attitude and responsibility of the
government of the United States.
Among the fourteen terms Of peace
which the pesident formulated at thst
time occurred the following:
"'X. The peoples Of Austria-Hun-
gary whose place among the nations
we wish to see safeguarded and as
sured, should be accorded the freest
opportunity of autonomous develop
ment'
"Since that sentence was written
and uttered to the congress Of the
United States, the government of the
United States has recognized that a
state of belligerency exists between
the Czecho-Slovaks and the German
and Austro-Hungarian empires and
that the Czecho-Slovak national coun-
ell is a de facto belligerent govern
ment clothed with proper authority to
direct the military and political af-
fairs of the Czecho- Slovaks. 1t has al
so recognized in the fullest manner
the Justice of the nationalistic aspira-
tions of the Jugo-Slavs for freedom.
Rejects Austrian Plea.
1.-THE president is, therefore, no long
er at liberty to accept the mere 'autOn-
omy' of these peoples as a basis Of
peace, but is obliged to insist that
they, and not he, shall be the judges
of what action on the part of the Aus
tro-Hungarian government will salts
fy their aspirations and their concep-
ton of their rights and destiny as
members of the family of nations.
"Accept, sir, the renewed assurances
of my highest consideration.
"ROBERT LANSING"