Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-02-28
HERTL|NG'S SPEECH
NOT OLIVE BRANCH
German Chancellor Fails to
Drive Wedge between En-.
tente Allies.
WAR WILL NOT STOP.
London and Paris Omcially Reject Soft
Words Of Kaiser's Spokesman
Huns Overrun Russia
associate Press War Review)

Imperial Chancellor Won Hertling has
failed to drive a wedge between the
entente allies by his reply to President
Wilson. The declaration that German
aggression In the east is not intended for
conquest has come at a time when German
acts belle the words Of the chancellor, and
Paris and London have officially rejected
any proffers Of the olive branch that the
more hopeful of the people saw in the
acceptance. in principle of the four points
enunciated by President Wilson as the
basis for peace negotiations.
Arthur ]. Balfour. the British secretary
for foreign affairs. sounded the keynote
Of the entente allies when. speaking at
London. he said that. until German mill
tarism was a thing Of the past and there
came into existence a court armed with
executive powers making the weak nations
as safe as the strong. the war must go on
He characterized Won Hertlings attitude
toward Belgium as unsatisfactory and IN
sisted that German practice does not
coincide with President Wilson's PROPOSE
tions.
Philip Scheidemann, the German So
cialist leader has voiced the protest of his
party to the peace that Is being forced
on Russia. In a debate in the Reichstag
he has said that Germany must negotiate
a peace by understanding and that the in
dependenc Of Belgium must be secured.
He says that the Flemings and Walloons
must settle their own differences.
While the German imperial government
is trying to convince the world Of its dis
interestedness in the future Of Russia, the
advance of the Teuton armies toward Pc
trograd still goes on. It now appears that
there will be no armistice on the Russian
front until peace is finally consummated.
In sjpite Of the claim by the Bolshevik
government that the Russians were fight
Ing hard for the city Of Pskov, the Ger
mans have pushed far to the eastward Of
that town. 1t Is rumored that the Teu-
tons have reached the city of Luga, mid
way between Pskov and Petrograd. Bor-
isoff. 60 miles northeast Of Minsk, has
been captured by the Germans. The
German official report says that the Teu-
ton troops in Ukraine have reached Goro-
stisheff. east of Zhitomir. which brings the
invaders within 90 miles OF Kiev. The
Russian troops have refused to hght and
these who have not abjectly surrendered
are fleeing In a disorderly mob toward tha
capital. II there is any resistance to the
German invasion, 1t must come from the
peasants.
American troops have been subjected
to heavy bombardment Of gas shells
from German batteries. Tnree Amerl-
cans are reported to have died from the
effects of gas and nine others are said to
have suffered severely.
There are not lacking indications that
the long expected German drive along
the French and British fronts is i'm
pending. Aerial activity Of great inten-
sity is reported by the Germans. who
claim to have brought down Is entente
airplanes. At the same time the infantry
is not idle and raids have been attempted
at widely separated points in the past
"a hours. One Of these was an attack
In considerable force by the Germans
against French positions near the Butte
Du Mesnil, which the American artillery
assisted In capturing recently. Tho
other was north Of the Chemin Des
Danes. where American troops are under
stood to be in training. Both assaults
were broken up by the prompt action OF
the allied artillery. British forces havo
repulsed hostile attack near st. Quentin.
Unrest in ireland, which was believed
to be very serious. 10 now said to be Of
little consequence. The centers of the
threatened uprising are reported in the
west and south. but arrangements have
been made to cope with the situation.
Sim Feiners who have been hunger
striking" nave been released in a num-
Der of instances.