The Washington herald., 1918-01-26
Great Divergence Shown IN
Two Answers to VII
sons Peace Terms.
COUNT CZERNIN TAKES
SLAP AT JUNKER RING
Hungarian Foreign Minister
Intimates War Party Is
Impeding Peace.

Amsterdam, Jan. Zo.-Oermany,
through her chancellor. Count Won
Hertling. in the Reichstas. has
made a specific. point for point
reply to President Wilson's four
teen conditions of peace. 1t is
couched in the language of one
who demands instead of one who
yields. 1t is. in the main, a rejec-
ton.
Austria-iungay. through her
foreign minister. Count Won Ger
min. has made a general reply to
the American Executives peace
aims speech. II is framed in the
tenor of one who is glad to yield.
and would yield more if he could.
1t is almost a plea. 1t contains a
direct invitation to America to en-
ter into an exchange of views with
Austria-Hungay. as a starting
point" for general peace discus
sion. 1t adds. almost in the ns-
ture of an awkward afterthought.
that Austria is and will remain 10y
al to Germany.
GIst Of Hun Reply.
Summed Up as a program the Ger
man reply means:
Annexation in the Fast
Bareainings in the West.
Germany indosSss those OF j'rcsi-
dent wilson's ,teTlrs fIOIn which Ehe
hopes to derive advantage, bubbles
on those on Nhi.h she prefers not
to commit herself and rejects these
which spell for her outright disad-
vaEtages.
Where she shows willingness 10
give up what she has she shows plain
iv that she will demand a Quid pro
quo.
She sidesteps the Belgian question.
says there can be no talk % an
Alsace-Lorraine wiring. insists Po-
lands fate must be decided by Ger
many and Austria-Hungary, and As
serts she will discuss Russian terri
tory only with Russia; French terri
tory only with France.
The Austian reply is marked. in
addition to its highly cOncilisJorH
spirit toward the United States. by q
considera BILE divergence from the Ger
man answer.
In at least one instance. that OF
Poland. this divergence is made plain
Count Czernin asserts the populatioil
OF Poland must decide its own fate
He adds Austria Hungary will vel
come il IL Poland should decide afte
the war to advance toward the dus'
monarchy. The German reply makes
no concession to the Polish populs-
ton; it calls Germany and Austria
the arbiters Of Polsnd's fate.
But another feature in the Austro-
Hungarian declaration, a feature O,
transcendental importance. arrested
the attention OF observers here last
night.
Slap at Junkerisn.
This is that Count Czernin delib-
erately went out OF his way TO MAKE
it clear to Russia, to the people OF
the Dual Monarchy. and TO the world
at large, that the snag that was
struck in the Brest Litovsk peace par
leys is a German snaE. With the
same shrewd innUendo that has char
acterized his previous Utterances. the
Austro-Hungarian statesman init
mated that the snag was German
jUnkerism.
Aurtria Hungary, he asserted, seeks
not an inch Of territory nor a penny
Of indemnity from Russia. Where
upon he proceeded TO dwell upon the
difference that had developed be
tween Russia and Germany regarding
the principal Of self determination.
As IL to smooth indirect rebuke e.
Berlin. he added that this difference
did not seem to him deep enough 10
justify a break up Of the Russo
Teuton peace negotiations.
Strings to Terms.
In the German reply one shrewd
political observer tonight saw renewal
i'm the open this time-of the attempt
previously made by underground
routes (Bolo Pasha, Caillaux, etc, } 10
impress upon France the idea that Il
will be more advantageous to that
nation to deal with Germany separate
ly than as a part OF the entente
coalition. In line with such an at
tempt would be, this observer explain
ed, the remarkable Characterization
by Hertling of Belgium as "raluable
pawn" Nor were other evidences Of
a German policy aiming at the po-
litical isolation Of England lacking in
the chancellor's speech. such as, for
instance, the string tied 20 the free
dom OF the seas clause, that Eng
land give. up Gibraltar and other for
titled naval bases
Italy was ignored by Hertling as
far as terms are concerned. Inc
answer to President Wilson demands
''readjustment of Italy's frontier
along clearly recognizable lines OF ~
tionality." He referred to Aus
Hungary. thus indicating Ger any
leaves Italy TO her ally to deal 18th.
An important passage in the & srmsn
helmsman's speech WAS his invita-
ton TO the allies to tormU' te new
terms. Both Teutonic Jkesmen
CONTINUED on PAGE "a HI