Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1915-03-25

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BERNARD SHAW AND THE WAR.
In The London weekly publication
The Nation of February 20, Bernard
Shaw, the wellknown English writer
publishes q very interesting article
on the war, from which we quote as
follows:
Neutrality is utter humbug. That
is my position. There is no such
thing as a breach of neutrality, be-
cause there is no such thing as neu-
trality. I hope that is clear enough
The importante OF bringing this
simple natural fact home at present
arises from three considerations. l.
The danger Of obscuring the real
issues of the war by the false is
sue Of the neutrality of Belgium. q
The danger that instead OF real
terms of peace, fictitious terms in the
form of fresh guarantees OF neu-
trality may be accepted as vahd. 8.
The general objection to throwing
stones when you live in q glass
house and are allied to Eastern
Powers whose whole history IS
huge cucumber frame
Those who insist that neutrality
is real and sacred are committed Dy
the facts to the following proposi-
ton. i. Germany has not violated
Belgian neutrality; she has maze
war on Belgium, which her guaran-
tee of Belgium's neutrality In no
wav abrogated her right to do; and
/ a. 4ro cp Dp1oinp1 fC nell
tralitv still stands in spite of the
war. and actually entities her to
treat violation of it by another
Power as a casus belli. 2. France
and England have violated the neu-
trality of Belgium by invading her
and fighting on her soil, though
they are not at war with her. 3.
Germany offered to keep the peace
with Belgium on a condition-that
of a right of way - which Britain
was the first to demand and to en-
force by war in China. A.. Britain
and France refuses to respect Bel
gian neutrality except on q condi-
tion which they knew would not be
fulfilled, and which in any case Bel
gium could not control: namely,
that Germany would keep the peace
with Belgium. s. Germany offered
peace in Belgium g. Britain order
\ ed war, peremtorily. / defy any
international jurist to put a credit
able complexion on these PROPOSE
tions except by showing that they
are a reducto ad absurdum of the
theory OF neutrality, and admitting
that Belgium might as well have
been a free country as a neutralized
one for all the use the guarantee
proved And it is because | was not
duped by that theory that have set
myself from the first to discredit the
Belgian pretext for the war, and to
induce our Ministers and news
papers to drop it. / did so even be-
fore the documents found in Brussels
by the Germans left the Foreign Of
flee so completely bowled out on the
Belgian point by the German Chan
cellor that it had not word to say,
and was reduced to hiring a street
boy to put out his tongue at him.
That was what came Of not taking
my advise and evacuating an un-
tenable position"
After than declaring: The Monroe
Doctrine is balderdash." and trying
to prove it by pointing out that
merely the respect Of the European
powers for the American Navy and
Army prevented them from annex
ing America, Mr.. Shaw continues:
"Wy did Germany make war on
Belgium? Because she was afraid
to delay her rush on Paris by at
tackng France through Lorraine
and Alsace Why did She attack
France? Because she was terrified by
the Russian mobilization, and was
I \ ,.I .ft.tl~ hat
from behind when she was attacked
by Russia. Why did we attack Cor
mary2 Because we were afraid Of
her growing naval strength, and be-
lieved that she would be irrestsi-
bic if she conquered Russia and
France, and thus left US without ef-
fective allies. Frightened animals
are dangerous; and Man is no ex-
ception We in the west Of Europe
are all fighting because we were
afraid not to.
Neutrality and Monroe's Folly be-
ing thus banished to Saturn, what
realities do we find unmasked by
their disappearance? Simply that it
is open to any government or COM
bination of governments to declare
that it will make war on any State
that invades certain specified ter
ritory No Government can possibly
have or acquire any right to do such
thing; but all States have the pow
er to do it; and If they also have
the means to make their threat good,
their might will be accepted per-
force as an effective practical SUBJ
stitute for right. But nothing can
give that might the validity of right.
Russia, Germany, and Britain had
the power to set up Belgium as a