Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-24
.AUSTR|ANS FEAR
RUIN, COLLAPSE
Their Counter Proposals to
Allies Claim Treaty Terms
Impossible.
CHANGES ARE UNLIKELY
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

By PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
BY Cable to The Star and Chicago
Daily News, Copyright. 1919.
PARIS. August 23.-The entire text
OF the Austrian counter proposition,
which the allied delegates are still
keeping strictly secret. and to which
they expect to make the final re-
ply within few days. has come into
my possession.
The Austrian documents are volum-
nous. They argue every point thor
oughly, but after having read through
their entire $50 large pages I have
not found a word of such a nature
that the American public should not
be entftied to know it or which would
hinder the negotiations II il were
known.
Principal Issues Raised.
Following are the principal issues
raised; the opinions expressed are not
mine, but those Of tho Austrians:
The treaty as drafted is declared ut
terly impracticable. The German
Austrian government dislikes to sign
engagements which materially ar.
impossible Of fulfillment. These terms
mean the ruin and collapse of Austria.
but II 1t Is necessary she will. of
course, submit.
Tne German-Austrian republic is at
new state which has never been at
war with any one, and therefore can.
not make peace. The present treaty.
should be considered merely as an In
ternataonal instrument regulating the
status OF this new state and should
not DO called q peace treaty.
Austria hopes to be allowed to io,n
the league Of nations immediatelv
AFTER the treaty is signed. The new
frontiers are unjust and deliver over
many German Austrians to otber
states. The elections showed +h.+ -,
per cent of the voters in Bohemia.
20 per cent Of those in Moravia and
s6 per cent in Silesia are Germans
Many million Germans are sbut
within Czechoslovakia. A plebiscite
Is requested in certain communes
which are purely German to allow
the people to decide whether thew
do not prefer to form part of Ger
man-Austria. These communes are
necessary to the revictualment Of
Vienna.
Grateful to Conference.
The Austrian republic is grateful
to the conference for the inclusion of
the district of western Hungary
within the new Austrian boundaries,
but would prefer that a plebiscite
be held in those districts, so that
the people themselves could decide.
Austria thanks the conference for
the decision to hold a plebiscite in
the contested region of Carinthia.
but would also like plebiscites in the
Marburg, Klagenfurt and Randker-
burg basins. where the population is
largely German. These plebiscites. to
be fair. should be held during mill
! tary occupation by some distinterest-
ed power The sacrifice of the south
ern Tyrol totally mutilates the Aus
| TRAN railway system and hopelessly
weakens the southern frontiers.
After citing the name of the patriot
Andreas Hofer, the text ventures to
protest that the old spirit of Hofer
will arise and shake off the yoke, the
weight of which is an insult to the
mountain people, who are jealous of
the independence Of their fatherland.
According to the treaty provisions re-
garding nationality. some former Aus
tro- Hungarians will belong to several
nations at once and others to no
nation at all. Moreover. Austrian cit
| liens by merely moving to neigh
boring state can secure relief from
financial OBLIGATIONS.