The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-20
COMMENT WITHHELD

time or the nature of the German re sponse to the President.
 COMMENT WITHHELD Officia.s heard without com,nent of thu report that Germany would accept Presi dent Wilson's conditions "in general with reservation that submarine war fare must continue to the end or the war. About the state department this was regarded as an indication that tht Berlin government, without concedin2 the surrender that it has been told must precede an armiStice would seek to con tinue diplomatic discussions in the hope Of eventually weakening the position o' her enemies and winning the earnestly desired negotiated peace.
 It was reiterated that only complete acceptance would satisfy the United States and the allies, and that an erfor' by the Germans to evade the issue prop ably would cause the President prompt ly to refuse to continue the correspond ence
 In the report that the new note would contain defense of submarine wartare as a retaliatory measure, the prospec, was seen of an attempt to reopen thls whole questionable question which brought the United States into the war Such an attempt would be regarded here simply as another evidence of the failure of the Germans to understand or ac- knowledge the basis of the American op- jection to their kind of warfare.
 TEXT OF REPLY
 The text of the note handed to the Swedish minister follows
 sir: I have the honor to acknowl- . edge the receipt of your note of the 7th inst, In which you transmit a com munication of the imperial and royal government of Austria Hungary to tAe President. I am now instructed by the President to request you to be good enough through your government to convey to the imperial and royal gov ernment the following reply
 "'The President deems 1t his duty to say to the Austro- Hungarian govern ment that he cannot entertain the present suggestions of that govern ment because of certain events of ut most importance. which occurring sincs the delivery of his address of January 8, last has necessarily all tered the attitude and responsibility of the government of the United States. Among the IA terms of peace which the President formulated at that time occurred the following:
 "The peoples of Austria whose place among the nations we
  should be accorded the freest oppor- tunity of autonomous developments.
 AUTONOMY NOT ACCEPTABLE
 "'Since that sentence was written and uttered to the Congress of the United States, the government of tEe United States has recognized that a state of belligerency exists between the Czecho- -Slovaks and the German nd that the CZecho -Slovak Nationa! council Is de facto belligerent gov ernment, clothed with proper authority to direct the military and political af- fairs of the Czecho Slovaks It has also recognized in the fullest manner the justice of the nationalistic aspira tions of the Jugo-SloYaks for freedom.
 "'The President Is. therefore. no longer at liberty to accept the mere autonomy of these peoples as basis of peace, but is obliged to insist that they and not he, shall be the judges of what action on the part of the Aus tro-Hungarian government will sat isfy the aspirations and their concep- tions of their rights and destiny as members of the family of nations
 Accept, sir, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.
 "(Signed) ROBERT LANSING"
 AUSTRIAN PROPOSAL
 The Austrian note as presented on October [. by Minister Ekengren, and addressed to the President of the United States, is as follows:
 'The Austro- Hungarian monarchy. which has waged war always and solely as a defensive war, and repeat edly given documentary evidence of it's readiness to stop the shedding of blood and to arrive at just and hon. orable peace hereby addresses itself to his lordship, the President of the United States of America and offers to conclude with him and his allies an armistice on every front on land at sea. and in the air. and to enter immediately upon negotiations for a peace for which the 14 points in the message of President Wilson sto Con- gress of January 8. 1918, and the four points contained in President Wilson S address of February 12, 1918 should serve as foundation and in which the viewpoints declared by President Wilson In his address of September 27 lslS. will also be taken into account"