The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-09-03
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER
THE ENGLISH VERSION VS.. THE
GERMAN.

InR "plue D0ok" issued by the Brit
tsh government to report the dip
lomatic exchanges between Great
Britain and other European powers
prior to the European war, has al
ready been summarized in the col
nians OF The Republican.
However, 1t is OF further interest
now Ia connection with the German
white hook" just made public and
referred to in these columns yester-
day.
It is a striking fact that the Brit
ish statement shows that Great Brit
ain was constantly laboring with
Germany to prevent war. while Ger
many was as persistently struggling
with Russia to prevent war. Indeed
n British blue book quotes M.
Sazonof. the Russian minister of
foreign affairs. as saying early in
the negotiations that Germany does
not want war"
This IL why 1t is the more sur
RritAng that British diplomacy chose
10 Ignore the great struggle between
slav and Teuton which lay back of
the war on seryia. Newspaper dis
patches at the time made it clear,
DAY After day. that Russia would not
even consider any other plan than
that of lighting with seryia.
Great q II Britain. az the ally of Rus
sia, ofs 0oursas could have exerted a
fnAnen1ous influence upon the cars
government. 1t does not appear in.
the blue book" that, AFTER the
tdeclaretaon OF wal by Austria upon
sServia, the British foreign ministry
made Formidable demand upon
Russia. until after Russian mobiliza-
tton had caused Germany to give
Russia twelve hours in which to ex-
plain the gathering Of her troops
s q, the German frontier. The declare
ssipns made At that time by Sir Ed
Grey was, In the opinion Of
The Republican, the only one In all
the interchange of views that is
y worthy M to be called the expression
Of the highest tyne of British citi-
sepslls5 and British ideals. AZ re-
1osted BY Sir Edward Grey himself:
81 said to the German ambassador
haas mRrnang that II Germany could
S my reasonable proposal put
$3.50 which made clear that Ger
@eAysApa Austria were striving to-
HsaaaHAkxe EAE0peAn peace, and that
MfM9eesi4 apa France would be un.
S1snsoneple nj they rejected 1t, L!
~ ahDeOrt 1T ut st. Petersburg
u Paris and go the length OF say
Mlkss4ag y Russia and France would
10y accept 4, His Majesty's govern
M3AksfMeua ~ have nothing more to
Nlsn ~ consequences, but other
49, \! t0ld German ambassador
49, = france became involved we
d L e Sir Edward Grey had made
sgch Z statement earlier in the day.
fairly probable he would have
prstented the genera war But. It'll
aAseula be borne In mind that the
abpve declaration was not made until
AFTER Russia had been given the
German uitimatum. The thing forl
Great Britain to do then was to de-
that Russia make a reasonable
axplanation OF her act in mobilizing
asg u army. IN order that negotiations I
or peace might be resumed. But
nothins of the sort was. done and
Rnssia virtually brought on the war
4sctlAAh .sas0 answer Germany
'ste s.s1Aess vss4nIn<ry :
Surely AustFiA had given sub !
'tantial asaasnes rs .sstriying to pre- I
'erye AFAngrSpsans psace,. when. UNI 9
Ter pressure from Germany, she as b
.lred fpssia that shs would respect 9
intsgTity q s 4 ! and would I
a sssk Il add to her territory a. a i
= sh q .ss ths Va on servia. That '
~ tne lopprepFists time for Great /,
lritain TO say to Russia that AUS i,
riasa assurances left Russia no ade- D
nate ground upon which to resort
arms, :
tits interesting also, in connection e
18th the two official versions as 81
L2XA-I>a~ u -. n /. W