River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-02-21
PRESIDENT, IN ADDRESS TO CON.
GRESS, INVITES PEACE NEGo-
TIATIONS WITH AUSTRIA.
TERMS FROM BERLIN VAGUE
Executive Answers Speeches of Teu-
tonic Officials, Declaring Ger
Minis Reply Encouraging and
HertInq's Unsatisfactory.

Wilson has openly invited Austria to
further discussion Of peace with the
United States.
in a remarkable address to Con-
gress in joint session the President
laid down the basis for such negotia-
tons. Austria, he said, seeing and
conceding the essential principles in
volved and the necessity Of candidl5
applying them, can respond to the
purpose of peace as expressed by the
United States with less embarrass-
ment than could Germany"
Presidents Address.
Gentlemen of the Congress-
the eighth of January had the honor
Of addressing you on the objects
Of the war as our people conceive
them. The prime minister of Great
Britain had spoken in similar terms
on the fifth of January.
To these addresses the German
chancellor replied On the oath, and
Count Czernin for Austria on the
same day. 1t is gratifying to have
our desire SO promptly realized that
I'll exchanges of view in this great
matter should be made in the hearing
Of all the world.
Calls Czernin's Speech Friendly.
Count Czernin's reply, which is di-
rected chiefly to my own address on
the eighth of January, is uttered in a
very friendly tone.
He finds in my statement a Suftl-
GENTLY encouraging approach to the
views of his own government to JUS
tify him in believing that it fur
nishes a basis for a more detailed
discussion of purposes by the two
governments. He is represented to
have intimated that the views he was
expressing had been communicated
to me before hand, and that I was
aware of them at the time he was
uttering them; but in this / am sure
he was misunderstood. | had re-
ceived no intimation of what he in
tended to say. There was, Of course,
no reason why he should communl-
cate with me. I am quite content to
be one Of his public audience.
HertIing Confusing.
"Count Won Hertling's reply Is, l
must say, very vague and very con-
fulsing. It is full Of equivocal phrases
and leads it is not clear where. But
Is Is certainly in very different tone
from that of Count Czernin and ap-
parently of an opposite purpose. 1t
confirms, am sorry to say, rather
than removes the unfortunate i'm
preston made by what he had learned
Of the conferences at Brest-Litovsk.
His discussion and acceptance of our
general principles lead him to no
practical conclusions. He refuses to
apply them to the substantiative items
which must constitute the body OF
any final settlement. He is jeal-
Gus Of the international action and
Of international counsel.
"He accepts, he says, the principle
| Of public diplomacy, but he appears
| to insist that it be confined, at any
rate in this case, to generalities, and
| that the several particular questions
| Of territory and sovereignty, the sew
eral questions upon whose settle
ment must depend the acceptance of
peace by the % states now engaged
| In the war must be discussed and
settled not in general council, but
| severally by the nations most imme-
| diately concerned by interest or
neighborhood.
"He agrees that the seas should be
| free, but looks askance at any limi-
| tation to that freedom by interna-
| kional action in the interest of the
| common order. He would without
reserve be glad to see economic bar
| riers removed between nation and ma
| ton, for that could in no way i'm
| pede the ambitions Of the military
| party with whom he seems con-
strained to keep on terms. Neither
| does he raise objection to limita-
| ton of ornaments That matter will
| be settled of ITSELF he thinks, by the
| economic conditions which must fol-
| low the war But the German colo
| MES, he demands, must be returned
without debate.
German Peace Not Ours.
"He will discuss with no one but
| the representatives of Russia what
| disposition shall be made of the peo-
| pies and the lands of the Baltic
| provinces; with no one but the gov
| eminent of France the conditions
| under which French territory shall
| be evacuated; and only with Austria
| what shall be done with Poland. In
| the determination of all questions at
| fecting the Balkan states he defers,
rs I understand him, to Austria and
| Turkey, and with regard to the agree
| ment to be entered into concerning
the non-Turkish people Of the present
Ottoman empire, to the Turkish au-
| thorities themselves. After a settle
| ment all around, effected in this
| fashion, by individual barter and con
| session, he would have no objection,
| ~~~.~-~-~-~s~.~0~~~O~.~0~~
| American Taken for German Killed
With the American Armies in
| France, Feb. 12.-An American pri,
rate, mistaken for a Boche in the
| dark, was shot and killed by one OF
bis own patrols, following the patrol
| encounter with the Germans. The
| private became separated from the
| patrol, which was seeking the bodies
| Of those killed a short time before.
| Attempting to rejoin them, he was
| challenged by a sergeant. He sus-
| pected another ambuscade and failed