of victory--German victory--and an invitation to
surrender.]

She forgets the many proposals for such a conference which were made to
her in the fateful month of July, 1914, by Servia, France, Great
Britain, Italy, and Russia--all of which she contemptuously brushed
aside in her scornful will to war. She forgets the offenses against
international law and against the plain precepts of humanity which she
has committed since that time and which have earned for her the
indignation and mistrust of mankind. She forgets that her so-called
proposal for a peace conference contained no suggestion of the terms of
peace which she was willing to discuss. She forgets that such a proposal
is a mere hypocritical mockery. No sane person, no intelligent nation,
would enter into a conference without knowledge of the things to be
considered.

This last point lies at the base of President Wilson's note of December
18, 1916, suggesting that the belligerent powers, on both sides, should
"avow their respective views as to the terms upon which the war might be
concluded and the arrangements which would be deemed satisfactory as a
guarantee against its renewal or the kindling of any similar conflict in
the future." This note, I believe, was sent to all the American
Ambassadors and Ministers in Europe, with instructions to communicate it
to the Governments to which they were accredited, whether belligerent or
neutral.

Here is a point at which I can throw a little new light upon the
situation. I handed the note, as I was ordered to do, to the Dutch
Minister, without comment or recommendation. Almost immediately the
German-subsidized press in Holland began to assail the Dutch Government
for refusing to support President Wilson's note. It seemed to me that
this was a falsehood, unjust to Holland, injurious to our Government,
which had not asked for support. Therefore I made the following
statement to the press on January 9, 1917:

"The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs is absolutely correct in saying
that I handed him President Wilson's note of December 18 without any
request or suggestion that the Netherlands Government should support it.
I did so because I was so instructed by my Government. I was told to
transmit the President's note simply as a matter of information. No
request was added. The reason for this is because America understands
the delicate and difficult position of the Netherlands Government, in
the midst of the present war, an