St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-08-17
but declined to enter into any en-
gagement to meet what the Allies had
declared to be their minimum war


German efforts to secure a peace
which would leave to Germany all the
fruits OF her victory gained through
Russian collapse, and with Belgium
and large portions of France to be
used as paWns at the council table,
began with the address OF Count
Czernin, then Austrian foreign min
lister, at Brest-Litovsk, on December
20. The keynote of the address was
general peace without annexations
and indemnities.
On January s, President Wilson
addressing congress-, said that the
United States must know for whom
German rulers were speaking. The
address was a complement to an adj
dress made on January 5 by David
L'oyd George, the British premier.
To these addresses reply was made
By Imperial Chancellor Won Hertling
of Germany and Count Czernfn. The
latter was pacific and conciliatory in
tone, while the former, alluding to
the good German sword" showed he
was speaking for the mlitarists OF the
Germanic powers.
"Four Principles" E~nunciated
To these replies there was reioin-
der by President Wilson, who, on Feb
ruary II, again addressing congress,
laid down what have come to be
known as the -Four Principles" up
on which peace can be based. Brief
ly, those principles were:
Final settlement must be based on
essential justice.
Peoples and provinces are not to be
battered about like chattels.
Every territorial settlement must
be for the benefit and In the interest
of the populations concerned.
All well-defined national aspira-
tons shall be met with the utmost
satisfaction consistent with the future
peace.
Pope Benedict, in a pastoral letter
issued at Easter, made another ap-
peal for concord among the peoples
of the world, but it brought forth no
tangible results. At the Pope's be-
hest, prayers for peace were offered
in Catholic churches throughout the
world on st. Peters day, June %.
In April there came revelations
from Paris that Emperor Charles of
Austria had written letters to Primo
of Bourbon, a relative. In these
communications the Austrian mon
arch conceded the claim of France to
and Lorraine and limited that
peace o%vertures would be welcomed.
As a result of this, Count C~zernin,
The Austrian foreign minister, was
.emoved from office.
The most recent addresses on the
of peace have been delivered
n the German reichstag, one by DR..
tO1k nACAAAA41A1AB GAC IOI0A&A A
minister; and the other by Imperial
Won Hertling. The for
ner's sensational admission that the
word by itself could not bring peace
esulted in his resignation, and Won
Iertling's address voiced the senti-
nent that as long as the Allies were
intent upon destroying Germany"
he war must go On.
The Enemy Offensive
Last winter it became known that
he Germans we're massing forces on
be western front. Reports came that
arge units were training behind the
mes and that new and more terrible
of war than had been known
efore were to be used in German eff.
ort to break the Allied lines, crush
leir armies and force them to make
eace. The drive was well adver-
sed and even the place where 1t was
be launched was known with com.
certainty.
On the morning of March 81, the
ermans began their attack from the
of Arras, on the north, to
Fere; on the south, and c~entering
leir heaviest columns against the
ritish forces, under Grneral Cough,
st. Quentin.
Staggering before the impact of the
ow, the British army fell back rap r
Iy. For eight days the Germans :
'ured through the old Allied line In o.
i effort to crush the British and n
i've a wedge between them and the $,
'ench, who were holding the lines o.
the south. Then came a period of d
action and the Germans came to a N
op. They had driven ahead for O
irty-five miles, along a front ex- ii
nding more than fifty miles before C
ey were halted. d.
Hardly had their legions been held in
fore Amiens than a new offensive
begun in Flanders, on April 2.
swept the British back through :.
'mentferes. but did not break their ;.
les. The British, with the French, =
we're rushed up to the front, :,
'pped the Germans after they had :;
ached the hills southwest Of Ypres. :
tere, OF April 9. the Germans suf- -
ed a terrible defeat that halted their =
in that quarter. -
Foch in Supreme Command