Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-12
q joint session. The presidents ad.
dress will not be given out until ha
begins to speak at a 1890 o'clock.
NAaIEn RI EllROpE

his answer to Hertling and Czernin
10 the ears of the people of Germany,
Austria and Russia.
n President Wilson spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the congress:
"On January 8 had the honor O
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 January 5.
To these addresses the German chan
cellor replied January "a and Count
Czernin for Austria on the same day.
It Is gratifying to have our desire so
promptly realized that all exchanges
Of view on this great matter should be
made in the hearing of all the world.
Count Czernins reply, which is dlrec-
ted chiefly to my own address, OF jan
uary 8, is uttered in very friendly
tone.
NO ADVANCE INFORMATION
He finds in my statement a sufli-
ciently encouraging approach, to the
views of his own government to
Justify him in believing that it fur
nishes a basis for more detailed dis
cussion of purposes by the two gov
"a AxuCALo. 1lS 10 AOpASSOAISu w Ia ~
animated that the views he was ex-
pressing had been communicated to
me beforehand and that l was aware
Of them at the time he was uttering
them; but in this I am sure he was
misunderstood. I had received no in.
ttmation Of what he intended to say.
There was, Of course, no reason why
he should communicate privately with
me-. I am quite content to be one OF
ks public audience.
HERTLING IS VAGUE
~ CoQnt Won Hertling's reply, I must
~ ID vague and very confusing. 1t
% full Of equivoca1 phrases and where
Il leads Is not clear. But It certainly
u In a very different tone from that
o4 Count Czernin and apparently Of a
very opposite purpose. 1t confirms, l
an sorry to say, rather than removes
tho unfortunate impression made by
what We had learned OF the confer
ences at Brest-Litovsk. His discussion
and acceptance of our general prin-
ciples lead him to no practical conclu-
sions. He refuses to apply them to
the substantive items which must
constitute the body Of any final settle.
ment. He is jealous Of international
action and of international counsel. |
He says he accepts 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 several
questions upon whose settlement de-
ponds the acceptance of peace by the |
twenty-three states now engaged in |
the war must be discussed and settled |
not in general coucil but severally by |
the nations most Immediately con-
cerned by interest or neighborhood.
GERMAN ATTITUDE WRONG
~He agrees that the seas should be
free, but looks askance at any limita-
lion to that freedom by international
action in the interest Of common or.
der. Without reserve he would be glad
to see economic barriers removed be-
tween nation and nation. for that
could in no way impede the ambitions
Of the military party with whom he
seems constrained to keep on terms.
Neither does he raise objection to a
limitation of ar1naments. That mat.
ter will be settled of itself, he thinks
by the economic conditions which
must follow the war. But the German
colonies he demands must be returned
without debate He will discuss with
no one but the representatives of
Russia what dispositions shall be
made Of the peoples and the lands Of
the Baltic provinces; with no one but
the government Of France the con-
ditions' under which French territory
shall be evacuated; and only with
Austria what shall be done with Po-
land. IN the determination Of all
questions affecting the Balkan states
10 defers, as I understand him, to
Austria and Turkey; and with regard
to the agreements to be entered into
concerning the non-Turkish peoples
Z the present Ottoman empire to the
3a1k1sh authorities themselves.
GERMAN TERMS IMPOSSIBLE
after a settlement all around, ef-
lected In this fashion, by individual I
barter and concession, he would have
no objection, If I correctly interpret ,
his statement, to a league OF nations ,
which would undertake to hold the
new balance Of power steady against $
external disturbances. /
TT must be evident to every one who
what this. war has {
in the opinion and temper of {
he world that no general peace, no t
peace worth the infinite sacrifice of l
.hese years Of tragical sufferings, pos !
,ihly can be arrived at in any such {
ashton. The method the German {
chancellor proposes is the method of {
he congress Of Vienna. We cannot {
and will not return to that What is {
1t stake now is the peace Of the world. t
What we are striving for is new in. +
order based on broad and t
universal principles Of right and jus I
tice-no mere peace Of shreds and
patches. It is possible that Count Won
Hertling does not see that. does not t
grasp It, is in fact living in his thought a
n world dead and gone Has he t
Utterly forgotten the reichstag resolu- c
ions Of July 10 or does he deliberately S
gnore them? 1
NO SECRET DIPLOMACY lie
THEY spoke of the conditions of a c
general peace, not of national apgran r