The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-08-26
WORKED FOR PEACE
how EARL GREY SOUGHT TO
AVOID EUROPEAN war

| HUE LHDL UAll UOUuNl
AVOID EUROPEAN war
APPEALED TO NATIONS
Germans Seemed to Count on Neu
trality of England in the Presenr
Struggle-If Peace Had Been Main
tanned Prospects for General I'm
derstanding Was Imminent.
Copies of the British Blue Book oil
diplomatic correspondence made pub.
lie in London on August to justify
England's position in the European
war, came to The New York World
from London recently. Seventy-seven
printed pages set forth 159 docu-
ments upon which the British For
eign Office rested its case.
The entire record is bluntly to the
point. 1t comprises the confidential
kilograms exchanged between Sir Ed
ward Grey, Great Bitain's Foreign
Minister, and the English ambassa-
| dors at the courts involved in the
war or interested in its prevention.
British, German, French, Russian,
Austrian and Italian diplomatic
views, as communicated to the am
bassadors and by them transmitted to
the foreign Office, with Illuminating
comment, are set forth. Each ma
tons grounds for fighting now with
a "clear conscience" are stated.
Germany is shown unalterably in
sympathy with Austria-Hungary in
her quarrel with Seryia; Germany,
confident to the last stages of nego-
tiation that she might count on Great
Britain's neutrality; Germany bid
ding for British neutrality at the ex-
pense of France, and being offered in
turn the possibility of friendly al
lance if the peace of Europe could
be preserved.
Austria is revealed plainly deter
mined to administer a beating to
Servia and expecting Europe to keep
hands off; Russia willing to let Ser
via be chastised but demurring at
Austria's doing the chastizing and
upsetting the equilibrium of the Bal
kan states.
The Blue Book record starts with
Sir Edward Grey's note to Fir Ed
ward Goschen, British ambassador to
Berlin, on July 20-three days be-
fore the Austrian ultimatum was de-
livered-advising that he hated the
idea of war between any of the
great powers, and that any of them
should be dragged into war by
Servia would be detestable." Thus
early did England forsee the dan
gers of the Servian embroglio.
Germany was reluctant to inter-
fere, Sir Edward Goschen telegraph
ed from Berlin on July 90 that the
German Secretary of State for for
eign affairs expressed the opinion.
"that there should DE no interference
from the outside in the discussions
between those two counties (Aus-
tria and ServiaD; he had, therefore,
considered it inadvisable that the
Austro-Hungarian government should
be approached by the German gov-
ernment on the matter"
On July 2S-just before the Aus
trian ultimatum was issued-Sir Ed
ward was Informed by Count Mems
dorff, the Austro-Hungarian ambas-
sador to London, that the note would
contain a time limit. Sir Edward
telegraphed to the British ambassa-
dor in Vienna, Sir Maurice de Bun
sen, at great length the views he had
expressed to Count Mensdorff Of the
grave danger to the peace of Europe
in the sending of such an ultimatum,
as the time limit-which turned out
to be only forty-eight hours, to p.
m. of July 25-would make it diff
fcult if not impossible to grant
more time for peaceful negotiations.
Count Mensdorf did not demur to
this statement Of the possible conse-
quences of the present situation "
added Sir Edward, "but he said that
all would depend on Russia"
Seryia Pushed Too Hard.
July "a, after the ultimatum had
been communicated to the foreign
office, Sir Edward telegraphed to the
| British ambassador at Vienna the
view, sustained throughout the cor
respondence, that Austria was press
ing Servia too hard.
"The murder of the Archduke and
some of the circumstances respect
ing Servia quoted in the note aroused
sympathy with Austria. as was nat
ural," said Sir Edward in tele-
graphing the substance of his con-
versation with the Austrian ambas-
sador to the. British representative
at Vienna. "But at the same time l
had never seen before one state ad-
dress to another independent state a
document of so formidable a char
acter. Demand No. 5 would be hard
" consistent with the maintenance
of Servia's independent sovereignty
if it were to mean, as it seemed that
it might, that Austria-Hungary was
to be invested with right to appoint
officials who would have authority
within the frontiers of Servia."