The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-12-11

OPPOSED PEACE
Count Czernin Paints General
as Man Who Prevented
Earlier Settlement.
PIN. FAITH TO WILSON

Pin FAlIH ~ WllSUN
Austria Struggled to End War.
Tried All Means but War
With Germany.
Vienna, Dec. ga. P.)-Faith In
President Wilson was expressed by
Count Cxernin, former Austro- Hun
garian foreign minister, today In dis
cussing the struggles of Austria to
end the war and the problems must
be settled before peace Is made Sc
cure. Count Czernin painted Gen.
Ludendorff, the quartermaster-g gen.
eral of the German army. and vtr-
tual dictator of the empires military
policy in the last days OF the con-
fiict, as the men who. stood between
the central powers and peace on
numerous occasions. Efforts TO IN
duce the German government to
make concessions OF an important
nature seemed at times to be near
success, but Ludendorff was ADAM
ant.
Recounting the desperate efforts
on the part Of Austria to reach some
sort of peace before the final and
absolute collapse of both the AUS
trian and German empires. Count
Czernin said:
"The German people wanted peace
long ago and even Emperor william
wanted to see the end Of the war.
but the attitude of England pre-
vented steps being taken. Emperor
William said to me on one occasion:
"cHow can we get peace with
England declaring that we must be
destroyed
Nothing is more dangerous In
politics than to see things as you
wish to see them;. not as they are.
We understood that the only way TO
arrange matters was to get England
and Germany to agree.
Emperor cognixant.
"Wfth the knowledge OF Emperor
Charles, I proposed to Emperor VII.
liam that Austria, would give Ger.
many IN ,byovincc of qaltcig md
Tcrraine were ceded back "a Ff1a6k
went to Kreixenach and presented
the plan to DIR. Bethmann Hollweg,
then German imperial chancellor.
Later he informed me. he was forced
to decline to enter into the scheme.
/ do not know whether or not Luden-
dorff had a hand in the matter. but
l was informed that 1t was impos-
sible to give up Alsace and Lorraine
because the German people never
would understand the giving up Of a
land which had cost SO much blood.
.sk ~ (.arnQnv WAN
dangerous, but nothing could be done.
Our conversations were pleasant and
friendly and our sacrifices were ap-
preciated by officials. 1 saw, how
ever, that l could not arrange the
matter because Germany was obliged
to obey the military party.
Move Unknown to Germans.
II then tried another way. Un-
known to the Germans, / sent Herr
Vassilko, a socialist member OF par
lament to Berlin to talk with Ma
thias Erzberger. the clerical leader,
and DR.. Albert o. w. Suederkum.
a socialist member Of the reichstag.
He was to tell them why the war
must end and give them both to un-
derstand that another peace resolu-
ton should be introduced In the
directed against both the
party and the pan-Germans.
AT this juncture. however, the
German armies began to win VIC
tories once more, and the reichstag
did nothing. Thus we were badly
situated. When our chances were
bad and the entente nations were
elated they would not talk peace.
When we were winning Ludendorff
would not consent to permit peace
always wanted to use
victory as an opportunity to bring
about peace and several times had
an impfession that I might succeed.
To See Gen. Smuts.
II sent Count Mensdorff to Switz-
erland to see Gen. j. c. SHUTS (who
was in Switzerland last March In
the interests Of the British govern
ment). He succeeded, but I was un-
able to tell just what terms Germany
would make. / do not recall that
Mr.. Lloyd George, the British pre-
nier, mentioned any conditions last
February. Germany assured me that
no definite offers were received from
England. I believe this was true.
england appeared to intend to
crush Germany, and France showed
l similar attitude. President Wilson
was the only head Of an allied power
who did not appear to have this In
mind. Emperor William could not
bring himself to yield Alsace Lor-
raine.
Regarding Emperor William I feel
that he did not want the war, but
ne did not know how to get out OF
L. In this, believe. the heads OF
he entente powers are wrong, Tor
hey probably believe he caused the
struggle. I was minister to Rumania
when the war began and / honestly
believe that no one wanted hostili-
les to begin. have the impression
hat neither Emperor Francis Joseph,
Emperor william, nor their ministers
wanted war. might explain the
'act that war started, by saying that
here was too much diplomatic bluff
fng, with everyone looking for the
,ther fellow to recede from his po-
,ition.
Except War With Germany
"Evsry way to get out Of the war
~as tried by w excepting war with
Germany. When one considers how
much weaker than Germany We were,
,s can see how impossible u was TOR
me 70 dictate terms. Now, II Presi.
dsnt Wilson finds Il difficult to i'm
press his viewe on the entente, how
was Il possible for . man like me
70 do anything with Germany?
II hope that an agreement to dis
urn will be reached; President Will
son Is the man who II able to bring
his about. believe his plan for
~ xra n fnQglhIH and