Omaha daily bee., 1915-03-23
GREY SAYS THIS is
LAST TIME PRUSSIA
WARSUPON EUROPE
British Foreign Secretary Asserts
Nations of Continent Must be
Free to Live Their
Own Lives.
GERMANS SUPERIOR PEOPLE"
Ono OF Terms of Peace of Allies is
that Belgium Must Be Freed
Of Invaders.
REVIEW DIPLOMATIC SITUATION

LONDON. March 22.--'War might
have been avoided by a European
conference when and whore Ger
many desired" Foreign Secretary
Sir Edward Grey told an audience in
LondonNShis afternoon. At the time
he was acting as chairman of a gath
ering which was listening TO lee
ture on the strategy OF the war.
Continuing along this line the for
eign secretary said
Germany from It's experience in
the Balkan conference knew II could
count on our good will and that we
were ready to do last July what we
did before. But Germany refused
every suggestion, and on It rests for
all time the appalling responsibility
for the war. We now know that
Germany had prepared for the war,
and only thosR who have planned for
war can prepare for it,"
Must He Lost.
Amid loud cheers Sir Edward added
This is the fourth time within living
memory that Prussia has made war upon
Europe and we are determined 1t shall
he the last "
The expenditure OF hundreds OF mil
lions OF money and the loss of millions OF
lives might have been avoided by a con
ference of the European powers held in
London or at The Hague, or wherever
and IN whatever form Germany would
have consented to hold it II would have
been far easier to have settled the dis
pute between Austria-Hungary and
Serbia. which Germany made the occa-
sion for the war than il was 20 get sue
cessfully through the Balkan crisis OF
! two years ago
Tn recent years." the foreign secretary
went on to say, I'VE have given Ger
many every assurance that an aggressive
| move upon It would receive no support
from us. We withheld from II only one
I thing-the unconditional promise to stand
aside. however aggressive Germany itself
might be to it's neighbors.
Germany Refuses.
''Last July, before the outbreak OF war,
France, Italy and Russian were ready TO
ACCEPT a conference Germany refused
every Suggestion made Cor settling tho
dispute this way and upon II must rest
now and for all time the appalling re-
sponsibiilty OF having plunged Europe
into this war
Asking what is the issue for which
VIC are fighting" sir Edward proceeded
as follows;
In doe time terms OF peace will be
put forward by the allies. One essential
condition must be the restoration Of Bel
GUM to its Independent national life and
free possession of its territory. The great
issue Is this: .4
we wish the nations OF Europe 10 be
tfIee and to live their independent lives
working out their own form Of govern
ment and their own fom Of national de-
velopment in fun liberty whether they
be great states or small states. That Il
our ideal.
The German Ideal.
4 The German ideal Is that the Germans
are a superior people TO whom all things
are lawful and against whom resistance
il unlawful and must be put dowE; that
they must establish domination over the
nations OF the continent, and that al
must be subservient TO Germany,
81 would rather perish or leave the
continent altogether than live I'm IT under
such conditions After this war. We and
the other nations Of Europe must be free
to live without the interference. without
the clang Of armor and the sword con-
tinusllly ratified in the scabbard; heaven
continually invoked, and without our pol
ICY being dictated by the military domi-
nation OF Prussia.
I'VE claim for ourselves and together
with our allies we will secure that right
10 live and pursue our national existence
not in the shadov Of P-ussian supremacy
but in the light OF equal liberty"