The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-11
COUNT CzERN|N
TELLS OF PEACE
TRY BY AUSTRIA
Expresses His Faith in Wilson
and His Principles.
Paints LudendOrff as Man Be-
tween Them and Peace.
ALWAYS OPPOSED ATTEMPTS
Tells How Austria Tried Again
and Again for 1t.
Wanted To End War, but Lu-
dendorff Always Said No.
Paints LudendOrff as Man Be-
tween Them and Peace.
ALWAYS OPPOSED ATTEMPTS
Tells How Austria Tried Again
and Again for 1t.

Vienna, Dec. 11.-Count Czernin.
the former Austro- Hungarian foreign
minister, discussed his efforts and
those of the Austrian government to
end the war and outlined what in his
estimation were the problems to be
settled before peace can be made Sc
cure. He expressed hope for an agree
ment among the nations to disarm.
Count CZernin declared the Brest-
Litovsk peace treaty was the work Of
the German military leaders,
Count Czernin painted General Lud-
/, i,endorff, the quartermaster general of
the German army and virtual dictator
of the empires military policy in the
last days OF the conflict as the man
who stood between the central empires
and peace on numerous occasions.
Efforts to induce the German gov
ernment to make concessions of an
be near success, but Ludendorff was
iadamAnt.
Austria Very Anxious.
! Recounting the desperate efforts
| on the part ofsaAustria to reach some
sort of peace before the final and alb
solute collapse Of both the Austrian
| and German empires, Count CZernin
said:
| The German people wanted peace
long ago and even Emperor William
wanted to see the end of the war, but
the attitude of England prevented
steps being taken. Emperor WilAm
said to me on one OCCASION
! How can we get peace with Eng
land declaring that we must be de-
stroyed. Nothing is more dangerous
in politics than to see things as yov
wish to see them. not as they are. We
understood that the only way TO ar.
/ range matters was to get England and
Germany to agree.
Offered Ga1icia to Huns.
"With the knowledge of Emperor
Charles, I proposed to Emperor viii.
liam that Austria would give Germany
the province Of Galicia and permit hel
to have her way in Russian Poland
ceded back to France. 1 went to
Kreizenach and presented the plan to
Doctor Bethmann-Hollwegg theT
German imperial chancellor. Later
he informed me that he was forced tc
decline to enter into the scheme.
do not know whether or not Luden
dorff had hand in the matter but
was informed that it was impossible
to give up Alsace and Lorraine be
cause the German people never woult
understand the giving up of lant
which had cost so much blood.
NothingsSo Be Done.
1.-THE situation of Germany wa.
dangerous but nothing could be done
Our conversations were pleasant ant
friendly and our sacrifices were ap
preciated by the officials. 1 saw, how
ever, that I could not arrange tn,
matter because Germany was obliged
to obey the military party.
Il then tried another way. Tn
known to the Germans I sent Her
Vassilko, a Socialist member of par
Iiament to Berlin to talk with Mathia
Erzberger, the clerical leader, and DR.
Albert o. w. Suederkum, a Socialis
member of the reichstag. He was t,
tell them why the war must end ant
give them both to understand tina
U'ontinued on Page TWol