Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1918-02-14
PRESIDENT WILSON REPLIES
TO HERTLING AND CZERNIN
United States Addresses Entire World on Principles Of
Just and Permanent Peace x German Military
Autocrats Are Only Obstacle.
(By the Associated Press)

| (By the Associated Press)
Washington, Feb. 11.-An-
nouncement was made this
morning that President Wilson
at 1890 p. m. today would ad-
dress congress on the attitude of
the United States to recent
speeches by German Chancellor
Won Hertling and the Austrian
foreign minister, Count Czernin.
The presidents decision to ad-
dress congress on the subject fol-
lowed several days of Conference
es with Colonel House, his per-
sonal representative to allied
conferences abroad.
No official announcement of
what the president was planning
to say was made, but it was
known he would make reply to
the declarations of the German
and Austrian premiers, which
were regarded here as insincere
and insufficient.
The president spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the congress:
"On the eighth day Of January I
had the honor Of addressing you on
the objects of the war as our people
conceive them. The prime minister
Of Great Britain had spoken in sim
liar terms on the fifth of January.
To these addresses the German
chancellor replied on the 24th and
Count Czernin of Austria on the
same day. It is gratifying to have
our desire so promptly realized that
allTexchanges tof views ON this great
matter should be made in the hear
ing Of all the world
Count Czernin's reply which is
directed chiefly to my own address
on the eighth of January, is uttered
in very friendly tone.
Speech is Basis.
He finds in my statement suf-
ficiently encouraging approach to
the views of his own government to
justify him in believing that it furn-.
ishes basis for more detailed dis
cussion Of purposes by the two gov
ernments. He is represented to have
intimated that the views he was ex-
pressing had been communicated to
me beforehand and that 1 was aware
of them at the tipe he was uttering
them; but in this am sure he was
misunderstood. had received no in
timation Of what he intended to say.
There was, of course, no reason why
he should communicate privately to
me. am quite content to be one OF
his public audience.
Hertling Unsatisfactory.
Count Won Hertling's reply is, I
must say, very vague and very con-
fusing. 1t is full of equivocal phras-
es and leads, 1t is not clear, where.
But It Is certainly in very different
tone from that of Count Czernin and
apparently of an opposite purpose.
It confirms, am sorry to say, rath
er than removes, the unfortunate i'm
preston made by what we had learn
ed OF the conferences at Brest-
Litovsk. His discussion and accept
ance of our general principles lead
him to no practical conclusions He
refuses to apply them to the sub
sgtanttye items which must constitute
the body OF any final settlement. He
is jealous of International action and
Of international counsel. He accepts,
he says, the principle of public Dip
lOmacy, but he appears to insist that
1t be confined, at any rate, In this
case, to generalities and that the
several particular questions of terri
tory and sovereignty, the several
questions upon whose settlement
must depend the acceptance of peace
by the % states now engaged in the
war, must be discussed and settled
not In general council but severally
by the nations most Immediately &
concerned by interest or neighbor-
hood. He agrees that the seas should
be free; but looks askance at any lim-
itati0n to that freedom by interna-5
ti0nal action in the interest Of com
mon order. He would without re-#s
serve be glad to see economic bArri.
Ar removed between nation and na-
don, for that could IA no WY im-S
pede the amt bitions Of the military
party With whom hea seems con-
strained TO keep on terms. Nelth0r
does he raise OBJ Ion to a. limitA- II
tion Of ornaments. That matter WIN
Sbe titled of itself, no thinks, t,y tho
sseeon0mic con ditf0ns which must fol-
Low tie
!. \ q .