Norwich bulletin., 1918-09-17

Washington. Sept 16.-The United States, as was fully expected, has internationally rejected Germanys peace feeler. In doIng so the govern ment has spoken for all the CO., oeligerents
 Almost immediately after receiving the Austrian governments note from the minister from Sweden Mir Eken- gren, Secretary Lansing tonight issued this formal statement:
 I am authorized by the president to state that the following will be the reply of this government to the Aus tro- Hungarian note proposing an un- official conference of belligerents:
 The government of the United States feels that there is only one re- ply which it can make to the sugges- tion of the imperial Austro Hungarian government. It has repeatedly and with entire candor stated the terms upon which the United States would consider peace and can and will en- certain no proposal for conference upon matter concerning which it has made it's position and purpose so plain."
 MT Lansing's statement was given out within half an hour after he had 1 received the Austrian proposal. It would have been forthcoming almost ! immediately upon the delivery of the l Austrian note had it not been found i necessary in order to avoid the possi- i bility of grave error to make a care ful comparison between the official l text and that which was received ir news despatches last night from Am Sterdam.
 Thus, emphasis was added to the declination, if any were needed. the i r11i inIy of 4l,o q existence of no shadow of dount 1T
 the mind of the administration as tt what it should be. As soon as Mir
 Lansing's reply can be put in form i will be handel to the Swedish minis
 ter for transmission to Austria.
 The Swedish legation notified tn
 state department early in the after
 noon that it had received the note ant
 that it would be presented as soon a
 it could be decoded and translates from the French. This consumed sev . eral hours ard it was not until 6.2 , o'clock that MT. Ekengren appeared lie remained with the secretary onl
 two minutes.
 There is some reason to believe tha
 the secretary acted with this un f precedented promptness in a matte of such great import with the desig not only to indicate clearly the posi-
 tion Of the United States governmen < but perhaps to anticipate and prever as far as possible newspaper discus l sions of the Austrian propositio 2 which might convey to the enemy misleading impression that there wa an5t Considerable element in the Unite $ States willing to consider a negotiate
 peace, such as the mon binding" di: I cussions, proposed by Austria migf
 develop.
 , Also, it is understood. there was . purpose to sound the note which tt 2 entente powers might repeat in makin
 their own answers. All these power a had gone on record formally as accep1 ing the conditions of peace laid dow S by President Wilson as their own
 While no reference to it was mad f in the reply which the United Statt $ government is making to Austria, it - known that one of the most objection
 able features of Baron Burian's propt r sition was the secrecy suggested f. n the mont ntbinding" conferences. It W;
 realized by officials here that the pu1 , pose was to barter away the righ :, of various nationalities in star chan a Der proceedings so that the victim - would have no knowledge of their ia r until it was beyond recall. This syt
 tenn of barter was particularly d.