The Carlisle independent., 1918-02-21

tudl Nds aware or them at the tllne he was uttering them. but in this I am sure he was misunderstood. I had re- ceiYed no intimation of what he in tended to say. There was, of course. no reason why he should communicate privately with me. am quite content to be one of his public audience.
 HertIing's Reply Is Vague.
 Count von Hertling's reply is, I must say, very vague and very confus- ing. II is full of equivocal phrases and leads it is not clear, where. But II is certainly in very different tone from that of Count Czernin and uppar- ently of an opposite purpose. It con- firms, l am sorry to say, rather than removes. the unfortunate impression made by what we had learned of the conference at Brest-Litoysk. His dis cuSSion and acceptance Of our general principles lead him to no practical conclusion.
 He refuses to apply them to the substantive items which must consti- ute the body of any final settlement. He Is jealous Of international action and Of international counsel. He ae- cepts. he says. the principle of public diplomacy, but he appears to insist that tt be confined, at any rate in this case, to generaIites. and that the sew eral particular questions of territory and sovereignty, the several questions upon whose settlement must depend the acceptance Of peace by the 23 states now engaged in the war. must be discussed and settled, not in gen erai council. but severally by the na- ttons most immediately concerned by interest or neighborhood
 Military Party Favored.
 He agreed that the seas should he free, but looks askanee at any lfmita- ton 10 that freedom by international action in the interest of the common order. He would without reserve be glad to see economic barriers removed between nation and nation, for that could in no way impede the ambitions Of the military party with whom he seems constrained to keep on terms. Neither does he raise objection to a limitation Of armaments. That mat ter will be settled of itself. he thinks, by the economic conditions which must follow the war. Bur the German col 0nies. he demands. must he returned without debate He will discuss with no one but the representatives of Rus sia what dispositions shall be made of the peoples and the lands of the Baltic provinces; with no one hut the government of France the "conditionS'' under which French territory shall ne evacuated; and only with Austria what shall be done with Poland.
 Cannot Accept Vienna Peace.
 "IH the determination of all qups- tieHs affecting the Balkan states he deferS as I understand him to Ans tria and Turkey; and with regard to the agreements to he entered into con corning the non-Turkfsh peoples of the present Ottoman empire 10 the Turk iSh authorities themselves. After a settlement all around, effected in this fashion. by individual barter and con eesSion. he would have no objection. if I correctly tnterpret his statement. to q league of nations which would un- dertake to hold the new balance of power steady against external disturb anees.
 ''It must he evident to everyone who understands what this war has wrought in the opinion and temper of | the world that no general peace. no peace worth the infinite sacrifices of l these years of tragIcal suffering. can possibly he arrived at in any such fashion,
 Refers to the Reichstag.
 ''The method the German chancel- Tor proposes is the method of the con- gross of Vienna. We cannot and will l not return to that. What is at stake now is the peace of the world. What we are striving for is a new fnterna- tional order based upon bread and uni t-rsal principles of right and justice no mere peace of shreds and patches. Is 1t possible that Count von Hertling does not see that, does not grasp 1t. is. in fact, living in his thought in world dead and gone? Has he utterly for gotten the reichstag resolutions of the 18th of July. or does he deliberately ignore them? They spoke of the con dfffonS of fl general ueace. not of na-