The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-08-26
aimed at no territorial

! Qu6SllOueQ HIS GACSllGuCy dUOuL
the French colonies, and he said that
he was unable to give similar un-
dertaking in that respect. AS regards
Holland, however, his Excellency said
that, so long as Germany's adver-
saries respected the integrity and
neutrality Of the Netherlands, Ger
many was ready to give His Males
.ty's government an assurance that
she would do likewise.
"It depended upon the action of
France what operations Germany
might be forced to enter upon in
Belgium, but when the war was over
Belgian integrity would be respected
If she had not sided against Ger
many.
His Excellency ended by saying
that ever since he had been Chancel.
lor the object of his policy had been
as YOU were aware, to bring about
an understanding with England; he
trusted that these assurances might
form the basis of that understanding
which he so much desired.
"He had in mind a general neu,
trality agreement between England
and Germany, though it was o1
course at the present moment toe
early to discuss details, and an as
surance of British neutrality in the
conflict which present crisis might
possibly produce, would enable hin
to look forward to realization OF his
desire"
Reply of Foreign Minister.
The British Foreign Minister'S re
ply was in part as follows:
"His Majesty's government can no
for a moment entertain the Chancel
lor's proposal that they should binc
themselves to neutrality on suct
terms.
What he asks us in effect is tt
engage to stand by while French col
onies are taken and France is beater
so long as Germany does not take
French territory as distinct from thu
colonies.
From the material point of view
such proposal is unacceptable, fol
France, without further territory II
Europe being taken from her, coult
be so crushed as to lose her position
as a great power and become suoor
dinate to German policy.
Altogether, apart from that, /
would be disgrace for us to mak'
this bargain with Germany at tn
expense of France, disgrace from
which the good name Of this coIntr,
would never recover.
"The Chancellor also in effect ask
US to bargain away whatever obliga
ton or interest we have as regard
the neutrality of Belgium. We coul'
not entertain that bargain either.
"You should speak to the Chan
cellor in the above sense, and adj
most earnestly that the one way o
maintaining the good relations be
tween England and Germany is tina
they should continue to work to
gether to preserve the peace of Eu
rope. If we succeed in this object
the mutual relations of Germany an
England will, 1 believe, be ipso fact
improved and strengthened. Fo
that object His Majesty's governmen
will work in that way with all sin
tcerity and good will.
"And will say this: II the peac
of Europe can be preserved; an
the present crisis safely passed, M
own endeavor will be to promot
some arrangement to which German,
could be a party, by which she coul'
be assured that no aggressive or hos
tile policy would be pursued agains
her or her allies by France, Russ';
and ourselves, jointly or separately
have desired this and worked for it
as far as I could, through the las
Balkan crisis, and, Germany havln:
a corresponding object, our relation
sensibly improved. The idea ha
hitherto been too Utopian to form
the subject of definite proposals, bu
if this present crisis, so much NOR
acute than any that Europe has gon'
through for generations, be safel'
passed, am hopeful that the relic
and reaction which will follow maxi
possible some more definite rap
prochement between the powers thai
has been possible hitherto
The German Chancellor received
this suggestion of England withou
comment, asking time to consider it
Meantime came Germany's demand
upon Russia for an explanation o
her mobilizing, Russia's rejection o
the demand, and war, cutting shor
the conversations" which had beer
opened at Vienna between Austria
and Russia.
AS late as July 81 Sir Edward
Grey telegraphed the British ambas
sador at Berlin:
II said to German ambassador thi:
morning that if Germany could ge
any reasonable proposal put forward
which made it clear that Germany
and Austria were striving to preserve
European peace, and that Russia ano
France would be unreasonable if the!
rejected it, would support it at st
Petersburg and Paris, and go to the
length of saying that if Russia and
France would not accept it His Ma
jesty's government would have moth
ing more to do with the conse-
quences; but. otherwise. l told Ger
man ambassador that if France be-
came involved we should be drawn
in