Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-16
TEXT OF NOTE TO POWERS
The text of the note to the power

The text of the note to the powers
follows:
The peace offer which the powers of
the quadruple alliance addressed to
their opponents on December IL. 1915.
and the conci1iatory basic ideas of
signifies. despite the rejection which
1t experienced. an important stage !.
the history Of this war. In contrast to
the first two and a half years. the
question Of peace has from that mo
ment been the center OF European
mates it in ever-increasing measure.
Almost all the belligerent states
have In turn again and again ex-
pressed themselves on the question OF
peace, it's prerequisites and conditions
The line Of development Of this discus
sion, however, has not been uniform
and steady. The basic standpoint
changed under the influence OF the
military and political position. and
hitherto. at any rate. 1t has not led
to tangible general result that coulc
be utilized.
It is true that. Independent of all
these oscillations, it can be stated
that the distance between the con-
captions of tho two sides has, on the
whole, grown somewhat less; that de.
spite the indisputable continuance OF
decided and hitherto unbrtdged diff
ferences- a partial turning from many
If the most extreme concrete war aims
is visible. and a certain agreement
ciples of a world peace manifests It
self. In both camps there is undoubt-
eddy observable in wide classes OF the
population a growth of the Will to
peace and understanding. Moreover. a
comparison of the reception Of the
peace proposal of the powers Of the
ouadruple alliance on the part of their
opponents, with the later utterances
Of responsible statesmen OF the latter,
as well as of the non-responsthleb but,
in a political respect. nowise unin-
fluential personalities, confirms this
impression.
while, for example. the reply Of the
allies to President Wilson made de-
mands which amounted to the dis
memberment of Austria-Hungary, to
a diminution and deep internal
transformation of the German empire,
and the destruction of Turkish Euro
pean ownership. these demands, the
realization of which was based on
the supposition of an oEerWhelmlng
victory, were later modified in many
declarations from official entente
quarters or, in part, were dropped.
Thus, in a declaration made in the
british house of commons a year
ago, Secretary Balfour expressly rec
ognized that Austria-Hunsary must
itself solve its internal problems, and
that none could impose constitution
upon Germany from the outside. Pre-
mier Lloyd George declared at the be-
ginning of this year that 1t was not
one of the allies war aims to par
tition Austria-Hungary, to rob the
Ottoman empire of its Turkish prov
inces, or to reform Germany inter-
nally. It may also be considered
symptomatic that in December, 1917,
Mr.. Balfour categorica1ly repudiated
the assumption that British policy
had ever engaged itself for the crea-
ton of an Independent state 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 do
main of concrete war aims has the