Evening star., 1918-02-21
Premier Won SeydIer of Austria
Defends Original Treaty With
SIav Province.
FURTHER WAR WITH
RUSS NOT EXPECTED
Will Not Participate in Further
Military Action on the East
ern Front.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
AMSTERDAM, February R.-The
Austrian premier. DR.. Won Seydler,
speaking in the reichsrat yesterday.
entered into long defense of the orig
inal treaty of peace with Ukraine and
announced a subsequent treaty appoint
ing commission to define the frontiers
of Ukraine and Cholm (Chelm).
The Petrograd government" he said,
has declared the state of war between
Russia and Austria Hungary at an end.
and. so far as human judgment can
foresee, state of war will not again
arise between these two countries
Explains German Purpose.
Responding to German cries of help
from Esthonia and Livonia, Germany
resolved to march further into the in
terror in order to save from certain
destruction those unhappy nationals
living in those provinces. In full ac-
cord with our allies. we decided not to
participate in this military action. Our
aim. therefore. remains what 1t was
before-to bring help as speedily as
possible to the Hungarian ma
tionalS still on Russian SOIL
DR.. Won Beysler announced that 10000
prisoners had already arrived from
Russia. and that negotiations would
be resumed with the Petrograd gov
ernment for the exchange of prisoners.
In explaining the appointment of the
commission. the premier declared that
the future of Cholm would depend upon
race principles and the desires of the
population. Russia. he said. had de-
manded for it's territories the right of
all peoples to self-determination, even
to the extent of complete severance.
Principle Is Recognized.
1--WE accepted this standpoint for the
occupied territories" he continued.
land all the negotiations at Brest-.
Litovsk were conducted on this basis.
We recognized this right for the peo-
pies of Lithuania, Courland and Poland,
and no logical or moral ground could
be discovered for depriving the Tx
rainians of the right granted to other
.'The members of the Polish Club
cannot deny the existence of large
Ukrainian population in Cholm and
that this nation has the right to be
heard. I go even farther and say II
was the duty of the Austro- Hungarian
government to conclude peace with the
Ukrainians.
what was secured at Brest-Litovsk
was peace for the people, and the Aus
tro-Hungarian, peoples would never
have understood II we nau Te1eCteu luiS
peace, or rejected the possibility of OBJ
tanning wheat merely in order that
Cholm in it's entirety and uncondition-
ally should fall to Poland. What would
the empires reply have been if the for
eign minister had returned and admit
ted that he had spoiled the chances of
peace because he refused to the Ukrai-
nian population of Cholm the same
right to be heard as is possessed by
the Polish part"
DR.. Won Seydler here quoted President
Wilson's phrase that peoples and prov
inces must not be transferred from one
state of authority to another merely as
pawns in a game, and continued:
Had we acted as the gentlemen of
the Polish Club demand we should not
only Have failed to conclude peace with
Ukraine, but should have severed the
delicate threads which may perhaps
lead to general peace. and the voices
raised in defense of such policy would
have been drowned under a raging hur-
ricane of indignation from all the Aus
trian races.
I'm view of these various considera-
tions, 1 must also emphatica1ly reject
certain insinuations which have been
made concerning the relations between
Austria Hungary and Germany"
The premier's speech was received
throughout with unusual demonstra-
tions of approval, except from the
Poles. who. however, rema ined calm,
though showing occasional signs Of dis
sent.