Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-05-17
England Would Hear Serious
Peace Tender, Balfour Says
Foreign Secretary Adds No
Such Proposal Has Been
Made by Germany.
SIxTUS LETTER DISCUSSED
Emperor Charles Letter Con-
tains No Reasonable
Basis, Contended.

LONDON, May ls.--The British
secretary for foreign affairs. Arthur
j. Balfour, In giving explanations
in the house of commons today In
connection with Emperor Charles
letter to Prince Sixtus Of Bourbon,
recently made public by the pres
ident Of the French republic, de-
clared that no effort at converse.
tons has ever been made by the
central powers In the interest OF a
fair and honorable peace, and he
added:
III any representative OF any bel
lIgerent country desires seriously to
lay before MS any proposals. we are
ready TO listen to them"
The letter in question had been
examined by "A committee of the
French chamber, Mir BaIfour said,
and tho conclusion reached was that
| 1t did not provide an adequate or
tsatisfa Ctory basis for an honorable
peace.
Mr.. Balfour in his explanations
was replying to questions submitted
| by the Right Honorable Walter
Runciman, former president OF the
board OF trade, who asked whether
when Emperor Charles letter was
communicated to the French gov
ernmcnt and by the French govern J..
ment to the British prime minister.
1t was communicated to any other
N hn n t,a
ernment any information as to what
was passing Did the prime min
lister inform the foreign office ut
the time Of the fact that the com
munication had been shown to him ?
Why were the negotiations dropped 7
Was 1t on pure territorial grounds ?
Was IL because a demand was made
by France not only for Alsace -Lor
raine. but for the 1914 line or even
the 1870 line?
Mr.. Balfour explained that hs
held no secrets from President VII.
son. He was in America at thu
time and had not gone very thor,
oughly into the matter. The letter
however, had been conveyed b,
Prince Sixtus to President Poincar,
and the French premier under sea
OF tho strictest secrecy. Only tn,
British sovereign and premier wer,
10 see 1t. Therefore II was not com
municated to the president OF tn,
Cnttd States and the American gov
ernment was no better informed ol
facts regarding the letter than hs
was himself.
hlr. Balfour In replying to ques-
tions. by th. Right Hon. Walter
Kunciman. former president of the
board Of trade. regarding Emperor
Charles letter, said that Mr.. Run
ciman put questions to him on the
subject wldcir' naturally excited a
great deal OF interest, both hero
and abroad.
British Not Alone Concerned.
II must remind the house, how
ever he continued, that there ID
very natural tendency to treat
THIS subject as II 1t were one In
Which the British government
alone were concerned and that the
opposition or critics OF the day had
the right In the public interest and
their own to extract the last drop
OF information which Il was In the
power of the government to give
That might be THO natural mood
for the house TO be in when dis
cnssirg ordinary subjects of do
nestle controversy. but 1t is not
the mood suited to the delicate
question OF international policy.
I'm International affairs IL is not
good thing to necessarily discour-
age informal ettsmpts at converse
tions. But we have never at any
time initiated conversations of that
sort. We have never turned down
conversations when other people
wished them. IL any representa-
tive OF any belligerent country de-
sires seriously to lay before us any
proposals we arc ready to listen
to them. or course we are not GO
ing 10 deal with them without the
cosnizance OF our allies. The mere
fact that such conversations are
OF an Informal character makes
that very improper subject for
discussion in the house That Is
true az a general proposition and
emphatically and especially true OF
he subject now under discnssions
Was Private Letter.
"The letter to which public at
tcntion is directed WAS a private
letter written by Emperor Charles
to "a relative tPrince Sixtus OF
Bourbon) and conveyed by him TO
President Poincaire and the French
pranier under seal OF the strictest
sccI ecy. hut with no permission to
communicate 1t 10 anyone except
the sovereign and premier of this
countrv The letter was communi-
Gated TO French and English pre-
raicIs drder these pledges.
Former Premier Asquith, who fol-
lowed Mr. Balfour, said that while
In his Judgment there has not been
and could not be any contraction so
there should not be any expansion
NJ the clear aims and purposes for
which Great Britain had entered and
was prosecuting the war and desir
ing to bring II to a successful Issue.