The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-09-17
PRESIDENT REPLIES To AUSTRIA
FOR ALL THE CO-BELL|CERENTS

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16.-The
United States, as was fully expected
has Internationally rejected Ger
many's peace feeler. In doing so the
government has spoken for all the
o-belligerents.
Almost Immediately after receiving
the Austrian governments note from
the minister of Sweden, Mr.. Ekengren
Secretary Lansing tonight issued this
formal statement:
~ am authorized by the president
to state that the following will be the
reply of this government to the Aus
tro- Hungarian note proposing an un-
official conference Of belligerents:
"The government of the United
States feels that there is only one re-
ply which it can make to the sugges-
ton of the imperial Austro- Hungarian
government. 1t has repeatedly and
with entire candor stated the terms
upon which the United States would
consider peace and can and will enter
tain no proposal for conference upon
a matter concerning which it has
made its position and purpose so
plain.'
Mr.. Lansings statement was given
out within half an hour after he had
received the Austrian proposal. It
would have been Forthcoming almost
upon the delivery of the
Austrian note, had it not been found
necessary, in order to avoid the pos
sibility of grave error, to make care
full comparison between the official
text and that which was received in
news dispatches last night from AM
sterdam.
Thus, emphasis was added to the
declination, if any were needed, the
quickness of the reply indicating the
existence of no shadow of doubt in
the mind of the administration as to
what it should be. AS soon as Mr..
Lansing's reply can be put in form it
will be handed to the Swedish minis
ter for transmission to Austria.
The Swedish legation notified the
state department early in the after
noon that it had received the note and
hat it would be presented as soon as
It could be decoded and translated
rom the French. This consumed sew
eral hours, and it was not until 6:2O:
o'clock that Mr.. Ekengren appeared.
He remained with the secretary only
,wo minutes.
There Is some reason to believe that
he secretary acted with this unprece-
tented promptness in matter of such
,reat import with the design not only
@ indicate clearly the position of the
United States government, but per-
laps to anticipate and prevent, as far
IS possible, newspaper discussion of
he Austrian proposition which<might
onvey to the enemy misleading i'm
'resslon that there was any consider
lble element in the United States will
ng to consider negotiated peace.
uch as the "non-binding" discussions
by Austria Hungary might
levelop.
Also, it is understood there was
purpose to sound the note which the !
ntente powers must repeat in their
wn answers. All these powers had
zone on record formally as accepting
he conditions of peace laid down by
resident Wilson as their own.
While no reference to it was made
n the reply which the United States
government is making to Austria it
$ known that one of the most OBJ
ectionable features of Baron Burian's
proposition was the secrecy suggested |
or the "non-binding conferences
Secret Diplomacy Objectionable.
1t was realized by officials here
hat the purpose was to barter away
ne rights of various nationalities in |
proceedings so that the
lctlms would have no knowledge of |
heir fate until it was beyond recall. |
his system of barter was partic- |
larly denounced by President Wilson
1 one of his speeches.
That the German people themselves
vere to be kept in the dark by their
Military masters and prevented from
avlng any voice in the peace which was I
} be imposed upon them, was recorded
S an assured fact. There has been some
pprehension in administration circles of
combination of great financial inter
sts, that know no nationality and fear !!
lie destruction of all wealth and bust
ess by the spread of bolshevik ideas,
light in some way be behind this move
lent to bring about peace and terni-
ate the war before it had been fought to
clear decision. There is no such ap-
rehension on the part of the admins
alton of cataclysm which will bring
own all civilized institutions, and in
cad the general staff has given every
that the war is proceeding to
reasonably early and complete victory
hich will involve the acceptance by the
.ntral powers of the only possible terms
peace-ramey, those laid down by
resident Wilson
These terms, referred to in the reply
ctated today to the Austrian note, were
early set out in President Wilson's
ourth of July speech at Mount Vernon
follows:
1.-THE destruction of every arbitrary
'wer anywhere that can separately,
cretly and of its single choice disturb
e peace of the world; or, if it cannot
presently destroyed, at least its re-
lction to virtual impotence.
"2--The settlement of every question,
neither of territory, of sovereignty, of
onomic arrangement or political rela-
onship, upon the basis of free accept
ice of that settlement by the people
concerned and not upon the
sis of the material interest or advan-
ge of any other nation or people which /