The sun., 1918-01-26
CALL CZERNIN'S
VIEW DISHONEST
French Opinion rs That He
Rejects All Proposals
of Value.
WILSON STAND NOT NET
Minister'S Speech Found to Be
as Ambiguous as When
First Announced.
Special Cable Despdtch 10 TaH suN.

Copyright. 1918: all rights reserrcd
PARIS, Jan. 25-The text OF the decla-
ration Of COUNT Won Hertllng. the Ger.
man Imperial Chancellor. was received
here too late for comment by the press.
but the speech OF Count Czernin the
Austrian Foreign Minister. which French
editors point out is divided into two
parts. one addressed to Russia and the
other to America. FRANCE. England and
Italy. Is generally regarded by them as
not meeting the issue squarely.
His Repetition of the principle of a
peace without anneXations and indem-
mites is found to be Just as ambiguous
as when he enunciated it the frs, time
to flatter the Russian Maximalists and
the discontented population OF the Dual
Monarchy. The difficulties of the Rrest-
l-tovsk negotiations which Count
Czerniu enpha sizes a.e explained by
the monstrous Interpretation of that
principle by the Central Empires.
He accepts for Poland a broad. popu-
lar referendum, but omits to state that
this will be n plebisc!te or that the
German military party will abandon
its pretensions that the fate OF Poland
II bound to that OF Lithuania and Cour-
land.
Reply to Wilson Dishonest.
Ills answer to President Wilson III no
less dishonest. OF the fourteen propo-
sitions Of the American Chief Executive
he accepts some. to which he agrees in
their theoretical character. but rejects
all those posscssing concrete and imme-
diate value Or Significance =
hepudiating secret diplomacy, in
agreement with President Wilson, ne re-
fuses to state the war aims of Austria,
but strives by all the means In his power
to hurry the Entente into conference.
He ignores those points of President
Wilson'S propositions which do not suit
mis- programme. including Serbia, Ru-
mania, Alsace-Lorraine and the whole
Balkan situation.
L'Ecidir. commenting oil Won Hertlings y
statement that the Alsatian Deputies in
1871 agreed to German control, SAYS that
the exact opposite was the case. that in
the National Assembly they voted en-
bloc against annexation to Germany.
LEcidir asserts that Count Czernin
rests his case entirely upon Poland,
Courland and Esthonia as being the
whole OF the question and agrees that
Austria will accept Germany's preten-
sions for plebiscites in the debated terri
tories after the war.
elias saved Her Face"
GustaVe Herve in La EictOire states
that Austria considers that she has sawed
her face. as she proposes to line up
tacitly against the western Allies in the
defence OF territories held before the
war. the word defence being underlined
in the official Austrian text. ignoring the
elements that have already been de-
tached from Russia. Continuing. Herve
says:
Count Czernin approves President
Wilson'S plan as regards Poland. but
ignores the fact that OF Poland there
are already three morsels. one Austrian,
one German and one Russian. lie secs
no Inconvenience in dismeinbered Poland
Joining Austria as Hungary Joined her.
Decidedly both the German and the
Austrias texts should be read between
the lines
The G0ul0is asserts there will bs
great danger of another Brest- -IAtovsk
aasco. II the Austrian and German
statements are taken seriously, and
warns the Allies to beware of the tran.
1t Goes not believe It IL possible that
Austria will be able to Influence Ger
many to meet President Wilson's propo-
sitions for the independence Of small
nations even half way,