The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-07-30

| the period of peace tentatives. Ii is
| true that before the end of the sum
mer Pope Benedict made an appeal to
the warning nations to enter into
peace negotiations, the basis for pour
parlors being the restoration of Bel
gium and Serbia and the return to
Germany of her lost colonies. This
appeal, made on August 13. was an.
swered by President Wilson on Au-
gust 80, when the President annOunc-
ed that the German government as
constituted could not be believed and
that the United States was ready to
enter into negotiations when the Ger
man people showed they desired peace
and when they spoke through any au-
thority which would be representative
of them.
The German answer to the Pope's
appeal reached the Vatican on Sep
tember II. 1t expressed hope that fur
ther warfare could be averted through
the good offices of the Pope, but de-
clined to enter into any engagement
| to meet what the Allies had declared
| to be their minimum war aims.
GERMAN PEACE OFFER
German efforts to secure n peace
which would leave to Germany all the
! fruits of her victory gained through
Russia's collapse, and with Belgium
and large portions of France to be
used as pawns at the council table,
began with the address of Count Ger
min, then Austrian foreign minister at
Brest Litovsk, on December 26. The
! keynote of the address was general
peace without annexations and indem-
mites.
On January s, President Wilson, ad-
dressing Congress, said that the Unit
ed States must know for whom the
German rulers were speaking. The
address was a complement to an ad-
dress made on January 5 by David
Lloyd George, the British Premier.
To these addresses reply was made
by Imperial Chancellor Won Hertling
of Germany. and Count Czernin. The
latter was pacific and conciliatory in
tone, while the former, alluding to
'the good German sword" showed he
was speaking for tho militarists of the
Germahic powers.
nolMNinI EMlIhNIATED n
TO these replies there was rejoinder
by President Wilson, who, on Febru
airy II, again addressing congress
laid down what have come to be
known as the "Four Principles" upor
which peace can be based. Briefly
these principles were: "}h
Final settlement must be based or
essential justice.
Peoples and provinces are not to be
bartered about like chattels.
Every territorial settlement must be
for the benefit and in the interest OF
the populations concerned.
All well.defined national aspirations
shall he met with the utmost satisfac
tion consistent with the future peace
Pope Benedict, in n storal letter
issued at Easter, made another appea
for concord among the peoples of the
world, but 1t brought forth no tangi
BILE results. At the Pope's behest, pray
, ers for peace were offered in Catho
, lie churches throughout the world OF
St. Peters day. June 2S.
In April there came revelation.
, from Paris that Emperor Charles o
Austria had written letters to Prince
Sixtus of Bourbon, n relative. In thes,
: communications the Austrian mon
+. arch conceded the claim of France t,
Alsace and Lorraine and limited tha
= peace overtures would be welcomed
l Az the result of this, Count Czernin
0 the Austrian Foreign Minister was rt
t moved from office
J. The most recent addresses on tn
$ subject of peace have been delivere
in the German Reichstag, one by ID
j Richard Won Kuehlmann, the foreig
l. minister: and the other by lmperia
G Chancellor Won Hertling. The form
n er's sensational admission that tn
n sword by itself could not bring peac
@ resulted in his resignation, and vo
o Hertling's address voiced the sent
% ment that as long as the Allies wer
q intent upon destroying Germany
the war must 80 on.
THE ENEMY OFFENsiVES
1. Last winter It became known thu
~ the Germans We're massing forces O
" the Western front. Reports came tn,
s. large units We're training behind I'll
Si lines and that new and more terrib
la engines of war than had been know
II. before were to be used In German G
~ fort to break the Allied lines, crus
n, their armies and force them to NAL
g, peace, The drive was well advertise
o. and even the place where II was to