Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-05-17
FAIR OFFER
IS AWAIT Ed
BY BRITAIN
Pacifists In House of Com.
mons Are Told Govern.
ment Would Welcome Op.
portunity For Honorable
Peace.
AUSTRIAN KAISER'S
LETTER REVIEWED

LETTER REVIEWED
n London, May 16.-Great Britain Il
the enemy, providing they are put for
!, straight forward manner, Foreign
house of commons.
! III any representative of any bellig.
lerent country desires seriously to lay
before us any proposals" he said. "ws
are ready to listen to them"
The British government is desir0us
of an honorable termination OF the
war, he added, but the peace moves Of
the central powers heretofore had MOI
been in the interests of fair and honor.
able peace.
The letter to Prince Sixtus OF Bour.
Austria in which peace was
of Emperor Charles proposals were
discussed in the house OF com
mons on the initiative OF the pacifiSts
anu duSoCdIcS VI PcdOS W hSoOseS
| tion.
In response to questions, Foreign
Secretary Balfour said that Emperor
Charles wrote letter to Prince Six.
| tus, his brother-in-law, and that II
was conveyed by the prince to tAss
president and premier s,f France I'M
der the. seal OF the lstrt Y; Nsesrecy.
No PERMISSION Was gfven to conm0nI
cate the letter to any one except the
sovereign and premier of this coun
try. [This answers the question
which has been raised as to why this
emperor's proposals were not com. i
municated to President Wilson.1
HAS FAITH IN PRESIDENT
Mr. Balfour said he has no secrets
from President Wilson. Every thought
he has on war or in regard to Quee
tions Of diplomacy connected with the
war, he declared, is open to the prest
dent, There was no one more de-
sirous than is the British government
he continued. that the war should ba
brought to an honorable termination.
II any method could be shown the gov
ernment whereby that would be &C.
complished, 1t would Of course. -be -
cepted.
He added, however, that NO effoN
at conversations which has been made
by the central powers ever has been
made in the interests Of fair and hon.
orable peace; to the contrary they
have been put forward in order tc d,
vide the allies. Referring to the state
ment made, by Walter Runcimans
formerly president Of the board Of
trade, that France had asked for
bigger Alsace-Lorraine than that o1
1870, Mr.. Balfour said there was no
possibility Of this bigger Alsace-Lor
raine being the war aim Of the allies.
READY TO TALK PEACE
'If any representative Of any bel
ligerent country" the foreign minister
then declared, desires seriously to
lay before US any proposals We are
ready to listen to them"
Mr.. Balfour said the conversations
which CASTOR Doumerglu, formerly
French premier and foreign minister
had with the Russian emperor In 1919
regarding a bigger Alsace-Lorrains
which France would demand were
not known to Great Britain until very
much later. They had no international
bearing he said and didn't pledge
Great Britain. The British govern.
ment never gave the least encourage.
ment to any such notion.
An extended Alsace-Lorraine, the
speaker declared was not subject
which should ever be contemplated
seriously and he did not think Il ever
was fixed part Of the foreign policy
of the French government for any
lenght of time.
NO HOPE FROM GERMANY
There is no evidence now or at any
time, he added. that the German gov
ernment circles contemplate the poe
sibility OF what ''we should regard a
reasonable peace-a peace which
would secure the freedom Of the world
and freedom for those who are In
danger of German domination"
Former Premier Asquith, who fol-
lowed Mr. Balfour, said that while IN
his Judgment there has not been and
could not be any contraction. so there
should not be any expansion of tho
clear aims and purposes for which
Great Britain entered and is pros nut
ing the war and desiring to brini IL
to successful issue.