Their declaration naturally exasperated the Germans and the government. The organ of the Austrian Foreign Office, the _Fremdenblatt_, expressed regret that the Slav parties in the Reichsrat "place obstacles in the way of peace." It also regretted that "some parties in the Austrian Parliament should take up an attitude incompatible with our state's self-preservation." On the next day, M. Stanek made a declaration in the delegations in the name of Czechs and Yugoslavs, saying: "We Czech and Yugoslav delegates declare that it is our deep conviction as well as the firm will of our respective nations that a lasting peace is possible only on the ground of the full right of self-determination. _The Imperial Government deliberately and wilfully distorted the most important part of the Russian peace offer_, viz. the demand for the self-determination of nations. It is still more surprising that the prime ministers in both halves of the monarchy should try to deceive the public opinion of the world by a false interpretation of the right of self-determination. The Austrian Premier, Dr. Seidler, declared that the Viennese Parliament is a forum through which the nations could obtain self-determination, while the _Hungarian Premier had the impudence to describe the conditions in Hungary, which are a mockery of all civilisation, as the ideal of national liberty._ We, therefore, declare in regard to any peace negotiations: _Our national development can only then be secured when the right of self-determination of all nations shall be fully, clearly and unreservedly recognised_ with binding guarantees of its immediate realisation." At the same time the Slavs made a proposal in the Austro-Hungarian Delegations, insisting that the peace negotiations with Russia should be conducted by a committee selected from both parliaments on the basis of nationality, and consisting of twelve Germans, ten Magyars, ten Czecho-Slovaks, seven Yugoslavs, five Poles, four Ruthenes, three Rumanians and one Italian. Finally, on December 5, the Czech Socialist deputy Tusar declared in the Reichsrat: "We want to be our own masters, and if it is high treason to ask for liberty and independence, then let us say at once that _each of us is a traitor, but such high treason is an honour, and not a dishonour_. As regards the negotiations with Russia, we declare that _Count Czernin does not represent the nations of Austria_ and has no right to speak in our name; he is merely the plenipotentiary of the dynasty. _The old Austria, based on police, bureaucracy, militarism and racial tyranny, cannot survive this war_. We also want peace, but it must be a just peace. The Czecho-Slovaks will under all circumstances defend their rights." In conjunction with this declaration we may quote two other Czech Socialists showing the opinion of the Czechs on the Russian Revolution.