The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-09-27
TEUT PEACE BID IS
TURNED DOWN COLI
SECRETARY LANSING MAKES I'M
MEDIATE REPLY TO AUS
TRAN NOTE
OUR TERMS ALREADY STATED
July Fourth Address Of President VIII
son Enumerated Peace CONDITIONS
tor Which We Are Holding OUT,
and They Still Stand

washineton. Sept 1.-THE uhited
safes. ~ was fully expected mas ui-
.o,ditionally rejected Germanys peace
feeler. In doing 80 the government mas
.noken for all the belligereIls'
Almost Immediately after receiving
The Austrian government woe i''''
Tho minister from Sweden. MI fcNen-
IRON Secretary Lansing last hieiit ~
sued this formal statement
"The government Of the oht'eo
states feels that there is only one ~
DIV which it can make to the susses-
ion Of the imperial Austro-Hnnsariah
government II has repeatedly anu
.,It,, entire candor stated the terms
anon which the United States Woulu
consider peace, and can ana VIII en-
rertain no proposal for a conference
anon matter concerning which 1t mas
mad. its position and purpose SO
plain
Mr.. LnnSing's statement was gwen
mt within half an hour after ne mao
received the Austrian proposal. II
would have been forthcoming almost
Immediately upon the delivery or the
Austrian note had it not been found
necessary in order to avoid the posi-
bility Of grave error TO make a care
fuI conparison between the offlclaI
text and that which was received ID
news dispatches from Amsterdam.
Course Here in Doubt.
Thus emphasis was added To lhe
declination, if any were needed, the
uuickness Of the reply indicating the
existence of no shadow Of doubt in
the mind Of the administration as 10
what it should be. AS soon as Mr..
Lanslng's reply can be put i'll FORM II
will be handed to the Swedish minis
Ter for transmission to Austria.
The Swedish legation notified the
state department early yesterday after
noon that it had received the note ana
that it would be presented as soon
AS it could be decided and translated
from the French This consumed sew
eral hours, and it was not until 81,
o'clock that Mr.. Eskengren appeared.
Stops Press Comment.
There is some reason TO believe
that the secretary acted with this un
precedented promptness in matter
Of such great import with the decision
not only to indicate clearly the pc
sition OF the United States govern
ment. but perhaps 10 anticipate ant
prevent as far as possible newspaper
discussions of the Austrian PROPOSE
| ton, which might convey 70 the enem!
4 misleading impression that there
was any considerable element In thu
United States willing to consider {
negotiated peace such as the mon
binding" discussions, proposed b.
Austria. might deevlop
Also it is understood there wa
purpose to sound the note whicl
the entente powers might repeat il
their own answer.
All these powers had gone on recor,
formally rs accepting the conditions u
peace laid down by President Wilson
us their own.
System of Barter Barred.
While no reference to ii was mad
in the reply which the United State
| government made To Austria, it
known that one of the most ohje6
tionuhlc features of Baron Burian'
proposition was the, secrecy Suggeste
for the ''non-binding' conference.
was realized by officials here that tn
purpose WAS to barter away the right
of various nationalitieS in stal
chamber proceedings. so that the vi,
Tins would have no knowledge of thei
fate until it was beyond recall. Thi
system of barter WAS practically d,
nounced by President Wilson in one {
his speeches.
There is some speculation in offici;
circles rs to what will be the ne,
step in what is recognized as I'll
great German peace offensive Gel
crafty. il is believed that the Gerlna
and Austrian military leaders wi
point To the American reply as a
evidence that they have done ever
thing possible to bring about peac
and thus try To strengthen their peop
for another winter campaign. 81
another view Is that. owing to the i
tolerahle conditions, in Austria Hu
gary, there is more than pbssibili
Of Il breaking up of the quadrup
alliance. that Austria having goI
through the form Of making a pea,
1 proposal, which WAS promptly +
lected, has thus cleared the way Il
= her next STEFAN unconditional Su
{ render on the terms laid down /
President Wilson.
Bridgeport Strike Ends.