Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-16
AUSTRIA
CRIES, ENTENTE
ASKED FOR PARLEY
Offer Made Officially Following
Defeat of Huns; Urges
Pact at Once.
SPECIAL NOTE TO POPE
By Associated Press 20 Every Evening

BY Associated Press TO Every Evening
AMSTERDAM, SEPT. 16.
Austria once more puts forth tenta-
tive bid for peace. In extending an
invitation to all the belllgercnt gov
crnments to enter into non-b'nding ois-
cIissions at some neutral meeting place
the Austro-Hnngarian government states
that the object of the conference would
he to secure an exchange OF views Wtiich
would show whether those prerequisites
exist which would make the speedy
inauguration Of peace negotiations appear
promising
The Austrian proposal suggests that
there be no interruption of the war,
and that the discussions WOULD 60 only
so far as is considered by the partici-
pants to offer prospects OF success, IL
is proposed that all the belligcrents send
delegates to n Confidential and unhind-
ing discussion on the basic principles for
the conclusion of peace, III a place IN a
neutral country and at n near date, that
would vet have to bc agreed upon.
The delegates. II IS proposed, would
be charged to make known to ono an
other the conception of thcIr govern
ments regarding those principles and
To receive analogous, communications as
we'll ms to request and give frank and
candid explanations on MI those points
which need To hc precisely defined
The Austrian proposal Is announced
IN an official communication telcgraphCd
here from Vienna. in which the govern
ment announces that a note Cmbodying
ITS suggestions had been addressed TO
the various belligcrent powers. and that
the Holy See had been apprscd of the
proposal IN a special note. The govern
ments Of the neutral states also are said
to have been made acquainted with the
proposal
TENT or AUSTRIA q PROPOSAL"
The text Of the official communication
reads
Without optimism, II nj least asspr-
edly may he dcduCcd from the utter
ances of responsible statesmen that tho
desire to reach an understanding and
not 10 decide the war exclusively Nv
force Of arms Is also gradually begin
ming to penetrate nto allied states save
for some exceptions III the case Of blind
cd war aCitators, which are certainly
not to be estimated lightly,
The Austru- Hungarian government
Is aware that after the deep rraching
commissions which have hcen caused IN
The life If the peoples by the devastating
ette,ts of the world war il will not nc
: nrrHAsSlsei, tu ,t-cstabiIsii nri,r ~ the tot
tcring world At single stroke Tho
path that leads fo the restoration of
peaceful relations between the peoples
IS cut by hatred and enlightenment II
Is toilsome and wcarlsome vet II Is our
duty to tread this path the path Of ne
gotiations and If there arc still such
responsible factors as desire to over
come the opponent by military means
and To force the will to victory unon
him, there can. nevertheless no longer
be doubt that this aIm. even assuming
that il is attalnablc, would first neccs-
state further sangWnary and pro-
tracted struggle
NrCTORIoUs PEACE FATAL ~ EUROPE
But even a later Victorious peace will
no longer be able To make good the con
sequences of such policy consequences
which will he fatal to All the States
and peoples Of Europe The only peace
which could rlghteouslv adjust the still
divergent conceptions OF tho opponents
would he peace desired bv All tho peo-
pies With this consciousness. and IN
Its unswcrving endcavor to work in tho
interests OF peace, the Alstro-Hunga-
ian government now again comes for
NdTQ WIN u StiRktStip4 viii TIE oi!PEl
of bringing about a direct discussion he-
tween the enemy powers.
The earnest will 10 peace of wide
classes Of the population Of all the States
who are jointly suffering through the
war. the lndIsputable reapproaChment in
individual controversial questions, as
we'll as the moro concihatory atmos-
phere that Is general, seems 10 the Aus
tro-Hungarian government to give a
certain guarantee that a fresh step IN
the interests of peace. which also take
accounts of past experiences in this do
main, might at the present moment
offer the possibility Of success.
INVITES CONFIDENTIAL CoNCLAvE.
The Austro-Hungarian government
has therefore resolved to point out TO
all the belhgcrents, friend and foe, n
path considered practicable by it and
TO propose to them jointly 10 examine in
a free exchange of views whether those
prerequisites exist which would make
the speedy inauguration of peace nego-
tlations appear promising To this end
the AustTo-Hungarian government has
today invited tho governments of all the