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Show TEXT OF REPLY TO THE AUSTRIAN NOTE WASHINGTON, Sept. IS Secretary Lansing made public today the text of tho note he sent yesterday to W. K. F. Ekgren, the Swedish minister in charge of Austro-Hungarian interests, conveying President Wilson's rejection of the Austrian peace proposals. Except for a paragraph acknowledging acknowledg-ing receipts of the minister's note transmitting the Austrian note, the communication does not differ substantially sub-stantially from Mr. Lansing's statement state-ment of what the reply -would be, issued is-sued Monday evening, half an hour after Mr. Ekgren delivered the Austrian Aus-trian proposal. Tho reply follows: "Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge acknowl-edge the receipt of your note, dated September 1G. communicating to me a note from tho imperial government of Austria-Hungary containing a proposal to the governments of all tho belligerent belliger-ent states to send delegates to a confidential confi-dential and unbinding discussion on the basic principles for tho conclusion of peace. Furthermore, it is asked that the delegates be urged to make known to one another the conception of their governments regarding these principles and receive analagous communications com-munications as well as requests and give candid explanations on all those points which need to be precisely defined. de-fined. "In reply, I beg to say that the substance sub-stance of your communication has been submitted to tho president who now directs me to say that there is only one reply that the government of the United States can make to the suggestion sug-gestion of .ho royal Austro-Hungarian governmenL It has repeatedly and candidly stated tho terms upon which the United States would consider peace and can nnd will entertain no proposal for a conference upon a matter mat-ter concerning which it has made Its position and purpose so plain. "Accept, sir. the renewed assurances of mv highest consideration." (Signed) "ROBERT LANSING, "Secretary of State." nr |