The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-09-16
U. S. TO SPURN
AUSTRIA'S BID
FOR PEACE MEET
Enemy's Military Strength Must
Be Crushed Before Allies
Take Action.
SENDS NOTE TO EACH NATION
Vienna Government Would Have Rep
resentative From Each BefIigerent
State Meet In Some Neutral
Country and Exchange
Views of Peace.

Washington, Sept. 16.-Overshadow-
ing in interest even Marshal Fochs
hammer blows against the harried
Germans is the Teutonic bid for peace,
made through the imperial government
of Austria a-Hungary.
Fast on the heels of the Austrian
note came a direct offer by Germany
to Belgium of peace, but without men,
ton of reparation or indemnitieS, and
further plea to the allied powers to
give up their new front on the Muir
man coast in northern European Rus
sia. This latter move was looked upon
as an attempt by the kaiser to draw
the allies into a peace conference, if
the other schemes failed.
The formal plea of Emperor Charles
to the belligerents for "a confidential
and nonbinding discussion on the basic
principles for the conclusion Of peace"
comes as the first sensational move in
the "peace offensive" which has been
expected since German arms began
to stagger back from the fierce thduSts
OF the British, French and Americans
Another Hun Ruse.
Washington and the allied capitals
hailed the call for a conference on
neutral soil as another German ruse
to get better terms than they might
expect when the war has been carried
to the Rhine They were convinced
that Austria, whose people have long
been war weary, had been called upon
to bear the OnuS of making peace over
lures and thus save the face of Ger
many.
Not only in Washington, but in Lon
don and Paris, pacifists found cold
comfort. None Of the governments In
volved was inclined to take seriously
the request that delegates be sent to
such conference as that proposed by
the Austrian ruler. 1t was pointed out
that the United States and entente al
lies have made their peace aims so
clear there can be no mistaking them.
Russia Cited as Example.
The assertion that "the central pow
ers leave it in no doubt that they are
waging war Of defense for the fnteg-
rity and security Of their territories"
was greeted with added skepticism in
the face Of the Washington disclosures
unmasking completely the intrigue
which has wrecked Russia. cPublica-
ton Of documents proving beyond all
question that Germany had waited
only for a plausible pretext to plunge
the world into war cast a sinister
shadow over the benevolent prOtesta-
tions Of Emperor Williams closest
ally.
1t was accompanied, also, by the an
nOuncement that a German submarine
had sunk the British steamship Gal
way Castle, with the loss Of 180 lives.
Grim meaning was given the over
lures by the announcement from Paris
that Austrian troops which tried to
block the way of the Americans were
utterly demoralized and surrendered
to man.
While the peace kite was in flight
British, French and American troops
continue their relentless pressure
against the Germans Wherever the
allied troops attacked the German
lines moved back.
"Force." Only U. s. Answer.
Officials of the administration let 1t
be known that on the face of the de-
scription Of the proposal there could
be but one answer; and that could be
taken literally from the concluding ut
terance Of the president in his Balti-
more speech last April:
There is. therefore, but one re-
sponse possible for us-force to the
utmost, force without stint or limit ::
the righteous and triumphant force
which shall make right the law Of the
world and cast every selfish dominion
down to the dust"
Note From Austria.
Vienna, Sept. 16.-FollOwing is part
of the text of the communication Of
the AustrO-Hungarian government to
the belligerent and neutral nations and
the Holy See, asking nonbinding dis
cussions with view to bringing about
peace:
without optimism it at least assur-
edly may be deduced from the utter
ances of responsible statesmen that
the desire to reach an understanding
and not to decide the war exclusively
by force Of arms is also gradually be-
ginning to penetrate into allied states.
save for some exceptions in the case of
blinded war agitators, which are GER
tainly not to be estimated lightly.
The peace offer which the powers
of the quadruple alliance addressed to
their opponents on December 12, 1915
and the conciliatcry basic ideas of