Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-15


comparison Of the reception Of the
peace proposal OF the Powers Of the
| Quadruple Alliance on the part OF
their opponents with the later utter.
anccs OF responsible statesmen of the
latter as well as Of the nonrespon-
sible, but, in a political respect. no.
wise uninfluential personalities, con-
firms this impression.
While, for example, the reply of
the Allies to President Wilson made
demands which amounted to the dis
memberment OF Austria Hungary, to
diminution and a deep internal
transformation of the German empire
and the destruction Of Turkish Euro
pean ownership. these demands, the
realization Of which was based on the
supposition Of an overwhelming VIC
tory, were later modified in many
declarations from official Entenre
quarters, or in part were dropped.
Thus, in a declaration made in the
British House Of Commons a year ago.
Secretary Balfour expressly recog-
nized that Austria Hungary must it.
self solve its internal problems, and
that no one could impose a constitu-
ton upon Germany from the outside.
Premier Lloyd George declared at the
beginning of this year that it was not
one of the Allies war aims to partition
Austria Hungary, to rob the Ottoman
Empire of its Turkish provinces. or to
reform Germany internally It may
also be considered symptomatic that
in December, 1917, Mr. Balfour cate
gorically repudiated the assumption
that British policy had ever engaged
itself for the creation Of an indepen-
dent State out OF the territories on
the left bank Of the Rhine.
Merely Waging Defense War
The Central Powers leave It in no
doubt that they are only waging a
war Of defense for the integrity and
security of their territories.
Far more outspoken than in the
domain of concrete war aims has the
rapprochement OF conceptions pro.
ceeded regarding those guiding lines
upon the basis of which peace shall
be concluded and the future order of
Europe and the world built up. In
this direction President Wilson. in his
speeches Of FEBRUARY 12 and July 4
of this year. has formulated princi.
Piles which have not encountered con-
tradiction on the part of his Allies
and the far.reaching application Of
which is likely to meet with no OBJ.
lection on the part of the Powers Of
the Quadrurle Alliance also, presup.
posing that this application is gen.
eral and reconcilable with the vital
interests of the States concerned.
1T Is true IL must be remembered
that an agreement on general princi.
pies is insufficient, bat there remains
the further matter Of reaching an ac-
cord upon their Interpretation and
their application to individual concrete
war and peace questions.
ITO an unprejudiced observer there
can be no doubt that in all the bel.
tient nation which has set out to see
justice established
BALTIMORE SUS-Austria' s proposal
must be answered. what shall the an
swer be? What the instructive answer
of the average red-blooded American will
be we have no doubt. He will repeat
Grants words and say that no terms
Will be accepted but an immediate and
unconditional surrender.
PiTTSBuRGH Observation-Disclosures s
FORMAL appeal for a peace conference is
first and foremost an evidence of des-
peration, The only possible basis of peace
has been stated by President Wilson in
broad principles.