New Britain herald., 1918-09-16

overcome the opponent by military means and to force the will to victory upon him, there can, nevertheless, no longer be doubt that this aim, even assuming that it is attainable, would first necessitate a further sanguinary and protracted struggle.
 But even a later victorious peace will no longer be able to make good the consequences of such policy-con- sequences which will be fatal to all the States and peoples of Europe. The only peace which could righteously adjust the still divergent conceptions of the opponents would be a peace desired by all the peoples. With this consciousness and in it's unswerving endeavor to work in the interests of peace, the Austro- Hungarian Govern ment now again comes forward with a suggestion With the object of bring ing about direct discussion between the enemy powers
 The earnest will to peace of wide classes of the population of all the States who are Jointly suffering through the war-the indisputable rapprochment in individual contro- versial auestions-as we'll as the more conciliatOry atmosphere that is gen. eral seem to the AuStrO-Hungarlan government to give a certain guar antee that a fresh step in the inter ests of peace, which also takes ac- count of past experiences in this domain, might at the present moment offer the possibility of success.
 'The Austro- Hungarian Govern ment has therefore resolved to point out to all the belligerents, friend and foe, path considered practicable by it, and to propose to them jointly to examine in a free exchange of views whether those. prerequisites exist which would make the speedy in auguaration of peace negotiations ap- pear promising. To this end the Austro- Hungarian Government has today invited the governments of all the belligerent states to a conf detial and unbinding discussion at a neutral meeting place, and has ad- dressed to them a note drawn up In this sense.
 This step has been brought to the knowledge of the Holy See in a spec ial note, and an appeal thereby made to the Pope's interest in peace. Furthermore, the governments of the neutral states have been acquainted with the step taken.
 The constant close accord which ex- ists between the four allied powers warrants the assumption that the allies of Autsro- Hungary, to whom the proposal is being sent in the same manner, share the views developed in the note.'
 (The official telegram proceeds to say that the note has been drawn up nj French, and runs as folloWs:)
 The Note to Allies.
 "The peace offer which the powers of the Quadruple Alliance addressed to their opponents on December 12, 1916, and the conciliatory basic ideas of which they have never given up, signifies, despite the rejection which it experienced, an important stage in the history of this war. In contrast to the first two and a half war years, the question of peace has from that moment been the center of European, aye, of world discussion, and domi- mates it in ever increasing measure.
 Almost all the belligerent states in turn again and again expressed them selves on the question of peace, it's prerequisites and conditions. The line of development of this discussion,
 
 steady. The basic standpoint changed under the influence of the military and political position. and hitherto, at any rate, 1t has not led to a tangible gen. eral result that could be utilized.
 "It is true that, independent of all these oscillations. it can be stated that the distance between the conceptions of the two sides has on the whole, grown somewhat less; that despite the indiaputable continuance of decided and hitherto unbridged differences 8 partial turning from many of the most extreme concrete war aims is visible and a certain agreement upon the rel ative general basic principles of a world peace manifests itself. In both camps there is undoubtedly observa- ble in wide classes of the population a growth of the will to peace and un- derstanding. Moreover, a comparison of the reception of the peace proposal of the powers of the Quadrup1e Ali ance on the part of their opponents with the later utterances of repsonsi- ble statesmen of the latter, as well as of the irresponsible but, in a politi- cal respect, nowise uninfluential per- sonalities, confirms this impression.
 While, for example, the reply of the Allies to President Wilson made de- mands which amounted to the dis memberment of Austria-Hungary to a diminution and a deep internal trans formation of the German empire, and the destruction of Turkish European ownership. these demands, the realiza- ton of which was based on the SUD- position of an overwhelming victory, were later modified in many declara- tions from official Entente quarters, or in part were dropped.
 Thus, in a declaration made in the British House of Commons year ago Sncretaru Ralfnur exnreSslN rncncc-