The Sentinel=record., 1918-04-04

Amsterdam, April Count Ger
min. Austro Hungarian foreign minis
ter. addressing delegation from the
Vienna city council which waited on
HIM Tuesday, in connection with what
the burgomaster termed the "aggra-
waited distress of the population, ="
which is closely connected with the
general political situation, said:
with the conclusion of peace with
Rumania the war in the east ended
Before. however, turning 70 individual
peace treaties and discussing them in
detail. l would like 10 revert to the
declaration of the president OF the
s United States in which he replied to
the speech delivered by me on Janu-
AIRY "A. In many parts of the world
President Wilson's speech was inter
preted as an attempt to drive a wedge
between Vienna and Berlin. | do not
believe that because ] have too high
an opinion of the president of this
United States and his outlook as a
Statesman to believe him capable of
such a way of thinking President
Wilson is more able to ascribe dis
honorable action to us. than We to
him
president Wilson does not desire
to separate Vienna from Berlin and
he knows too that that would be i'm
possible. Perhaps President Wilson
saws to himself, however, that Vienna
Is more favorable soil for sowing the
seed for a general peace Perhaps he
says TO himself that the Austro Hun
garian monarchy has the good fortune
to possess a good ruler who sincerely
end honestly desires a general peace
but who will never commit breach
Of faith or conclude a dishonora5le
peace and that behind the emperor
king there are fifty-five million peo-
pie.
President Wilson says also per
haps to himself, that this united mass
represents a force which is not to be-
underestimated and that this honest
and strong desire for peace which
binds the monarch, governments and
peoples of both states is capable of
being the bearer of that great idea
in the service Of which he has placed
himself
Referring to his last speech, Count
Czernin explained the misunderstood
ing of his remark that the text was
already in the presidents possession
by declaring that he had previously
arranged for the text to be teie-
graphed to Washington from an un
official source in neutral country I'M
order to prevent any misunderstand-
ing or distortion, 1t subsequently
transpired, however, that the text only
arrived at it's destination some days
later. Nevertheless, he said. the OBJ
iect was attained
He then continued.
81 can only say that | esteem 1t
highly that the German chancellor in
his excellent speech of February PSI
took the words out of my mouth byl
declaring that the four principles de
veIoped in President Wilson's speech
OF February II formed the basis upon
which a general peace could be dis
cussed. I am in entire accord with
this.
'The four points laid down by the
president are suitable basis upon
which to begin the discussion for a
general peace Whether, however the
president will succeed in his endeav-
ors to rally his allies on this basis or
not is question.
God is my witness that we have
tried everything possible to avoid a
fresh offensive but the entente would
rot have it thus. Some time beforel
the western offensive began, NJ. Glenn
enceau addressed 10 me an inquiry
whether and upon what basis was
prepared to negotiate. Tn agreement
with Berlin ! Immediately replied
that Il was prepared to negotiate and
that as far as France was concerned
the only obstacle could see in the