The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-06-03
AUSTRIANS BEG
FOR MERCY
Say Their New Government
Was Not Responsible
for the War
BUT is LEGATEE
OF WARS HORRORS
Admit That the Allies Saved
People from Down
right Starvation

| Gt' otlhdihi AloHudy, june @s--CPuh
receiving the treaty from the allies here
to-day, DR.. Karl Renner, chairman of
the Austrian delegation outlined briefly
the history of the establishment of the
German Austrian republic and declared
it had no relation with the former Haps-
burg empire He spoke as follows;
For a long time the people of Ger.
man Austria were waiting in distress for
this present day to come, which shall re-
lieve the tension caused by the uncer-
tainty as to that peoples future state
We were longing for the hour of deci-
sion, because it was to render peace at
last to our hard-tried country and to
offer us an opportunity to proclaim be-
fore this illustrious tribunal, the worlds
highest authority, what our country is,
and what the conditions are under which
we may hope to organize the possibili-
ties for the existence of an Independent
commonwealth.
"The Danube monarchy, against which
the allied and associated powers have
waged war, and with which they have
concluded an armistce, has ceased to ex
ist. The 18th of November 1918, may
be considered the day of its death. From
this day on, there was no monarch any
more, nor abiding, moreover, has he held
sway. There is no more the fatal dual
I ism, neither an Austrian nor a Hunga
rian government, no army nor any 9th
er recognized institution vested with
power.
There remained only eight nationali
ties deprived of any public organization,
and overnight they created their own
parliaments, their own government, and
their own armies; in short, their own
Independent states. In the same way as
the other national states, our new repub-
lie, too, has sprung into life. Conse-
quently, she can no more than the for
mer be considered the successor of the
late monarchy. From this very point
arises the fundamental contradiction un-
der which we are laboring the most and
this high assembly.
"0n the one hand, no one could from
the judieious statement recently pro-
claimed by the chairman Of this confer.
ence, reason that modification of the
political form Of government or change
of its leading persons would suffice to
release a nation from assumed obliga
tions, This entails the conclusion that
all the territories of the ancient mon
archy and their peoples could be made
responsible for the consequences OF the
war, which was forced upon them all by
their former governments. Thus is
weighing upon us, as upon all the other
nationalities established on the terri
tory of the Austria Hungarian monar
chy,a portion OF the dreadful inheritance
left us by the fallen empire, the inher-
itance of war. the Inheritance of eXhaus-
tion, and the inheritance of the more
cumbersome economic obligations. But
the new republic has freed herself from
all these imperialistic aspirations, which
have been so fatal to the existence of the
ancient monarchy. She had rid herself
once and forever of all the reactionary
traditions which had turned the former
monarchy into a prison for its people.
She is, alas, the unfortunate victim of
that horrible crime OF 1914 "a crime
committed by the former government,
however, and not by the people.
, "0n the other hand, all the succeeding
states have in the light of international
law come into existence after the cessa
tion of hostilities only
"The German Austrian republic, in its
present shape, has never declared war,
never carried on a war and, in relation
with the western powers, never had the
position of a warning power from inter
national point of view. And there could
be no doubt as to the fact that our re-
public never was at war with the new
national states. On the contrary, in vi
emma various commissions appointed by
/, the succeeding states have met to settle
the estate left by the late empire, and to
divide in mutual agreement among
themselves all the rights and assets of
this estate, Between them and us it is
not a question of making peace, but of
i liquidating the former partnership and
settling the future relations under the
intervention and guarantee of the pow
ers, for which we pray. Nevertheless,
! these succeeding states, meeting face to
face in Paris, are playing quite differ
ent role in regard to their obligations
assumed in the past. We expect to elm
mate this contradiction at the peace
conference. ] reserve to myself the OPP
; portunity of drawing like conclusions
! from this contradiction later on.
r I'VE are before you as one of the
parts of the vanquished and fallen EN-
J pire. We assume our portion of the liza
bilities growing out OF these our rela-
tions to the allied powers, and we are
well aware of the fact that our fate is
resting in your hands.
1--WE hope and believe that the con.
science of the world shall not deny to
our people, nor curtail, the inalienable
{ rights of self determination, which the
J associated powers have always pro.
claimed to be the very aim of their war
waged against the Hapsburg and the
| Hohenzollern monarchies, right which
our people, confding in the principles
e recognized by the allied powers, have
, adopted as fundamental basis of their
new constitution.
"We trust that the worlds common
sense will not have in view nor will per.
NIT our economic ruin. The destruction
of the economic unit, the separation Of
our mountainous country from all its
national resources has condemned us
these last six months, to privations
which are by far exceeding the suffer.
ings endured in war time. II was only
= due to the generous relief action organ
' lied by Mr.. Hoover, on resolutions passed
by the allied powers, that we have beer
5 saved from downright starvation; but
/. in all these times OF distress our people