The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-12-27
BRITISH ARISTOCRATS
BLAMED FOR WAR TALK
Continued from Page One.

papers in the country say 70 the
stupid wise readers, who believe
them: We must allow our foreign
policy TO be given TO u.s. We only
pay the bills and find the soldiers, but
il We allow whisper TO get out or
Whitehall before treaties are signed
and irrevocable contracts are made,
then We are committing great
wrong. So the house OF commons
knows nothing, except by gossip untll
everything is settled. and then the
foreign secretary comes down ana
tells that il is too late for profitable
criticism and the aristocratic perma-
nent officials laugh in their sleeves
and go on ruling.
This was well illustrated in the
recent crisis with Germany. Ii is
true that from the fourth to the
twenty.nrst of December, there was a
mysterious silence in berlin, as far
We were concerned 49, IL our for
eign Office had been at all sympa-
thetic TO Germany. il would not have
listened TO tittle-tattle which il was
hearing from Paris and perhaps from
Madrid.
1T would have sent for the Ger
man ambassador, repeated its ques-
tons, expressed its fears and re-
quested an answer Immediately. What
happened? Our foreign office said TO
itself, Germany is silent; therefore
she is plotting. Germany has given
guarantees, but we can't trust her
And ali the time rhe people were fg-
norant of the silly game that was
being played by the department until
Lloyd-George Numbered the Mansion
house speech across the North sea.
THE final form of that speech was
settled by the foreign Office. You can
rely upon that being an absolute
fact"
do you think all this will lead to
war with Germany"
IF the present policy and the pres
ent men are retained, | am afraid IL
will. | am reliably informed that Sir
Edward Grey's speech has persuaded
many friends of England in Germany
that we have made up our minds TO
thwart the empire in her political and
economic expansion. Let that idea
once become prevalent in Germany
and war will be certain. Yet | do not
| English people want such a calamity
! to happen
How do you explain the official
| friendship for Russian
Partly as a sequel TO our French
entente. partly because the heads oil
our foreign office have happened TO
be individually pro-Russians. We en-
abled the late premier OF Russia TO
suppress, by wholesale judicial MUIR
der not merely the revolutionary, but
the reforming spirit in this country.
We helped Russian credit and we
stood by, giving our moral support,
| while Stolypin was reducing the duma
TO a farcical assembly-but the for
elgn Office officials have no senti-
ment about democracy We have
been absolutely pliable in the hands
OF Russia"
When questioned Macdonald about
his remedy. he disclaimed personal
antagonist to Sir Edward Grey
The present foreign secretary is
responsible only insofar as he is
weak" Macdonald said He cannot
make his officials do what he asks
them. II Grey went, another equally
feeble man would take his place and
we would be jumping from the frying
| pan into the fire. The devil in the
machine is not Grey. but the perma-
nent officials, and they can work dia-
bolieally simply because we allow
them TO work secretly.
I'VE must devise some means OF
restoring to the house OF commons
control over foreign affairs. When
this is done there will be no en-
tangling alliance with Russia, but
close friendship with Germany"