The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-06-22
LEADER OF ENGLISH LABOR PARTY
BLAMES SIR EDWARD GRAY FOR war


ments; its end is war and the smash
ing up of the very balance which it is
designed to maintain. When war
comes 1t is then bound to be univer-
sal. Every nation is on one rope or
another and when one slip it drags it's
allies with it.
As a matter Of practical experience
the very worst form of alliance is the
entente. An alliance is definite. Ev-
cry one knows his responsibility un-
der it. The entente deceives the peo-
! pie. When Mr.. Asquith and Sir Ed
ward Grey kept assuring the House OF
Commons that we had contracted no
obligations by our entente with France
they said what was literally true but
substantially untrue. That is why
stupid or dishonest statesmen prefer
the entente to the alliance; it permits
them to see hard facts through veil
OF sentimental vagueness. Had we
had definite alliance with France
and Russia the only difference would
have been that we and everybody else
| should have known what we had let
ourselves in for, and that might have
averted the war. Italy could keep out
in the alliance imposed only definite
obligations upon it: we were dragged
in because our entente involved us in
an indefinite maze of honorable COM
mitments.
1t is interesting to gather from Sir
Edward Grey's speech of August 3
and the White Paper how completely
the entente entangled him. There
were first Of all the conversations"
between French and British naval and
army experts from 1906 onward
These produced plans Of naval and
military operations which France and
we were to take jointly together. 1t
was in accordance with these schemes
that the northern coast of France were
left unprotected by the French navy.
| When Sir Edward. Grey evoked our
sympathy on the ground that the
French northern coasts were unpro-
tected. he did not tell US that he had
agreed that they should be unprotect-
ed and that the French fleet should be
| concentrated in the Mediterranean.
Cabinet Kept In Ignorance.
These conversations" were carried
on for about six years without the
knowledge or consent Of the Cabinet.
The military plans were sent to St.
Petersburg and Grand Duke ESQ we'll
informed authorities say connected
with the Germany party in Russia
sent them to Berlin. Germany has
known for years that there were mill
tary arrangements between France
and ourselves, and that Russia would
fit her operations into these plans.
We had so mixed ourselves up in
the Franco-Russian alliance that Sir
Edward Grey had to tell us on August
8 that though our hands were free our
honor was pledged!
The country had been so helplessly
! committed to fight for France and
Russia that Sir Edward Grey had to
refuse point blank every overture
made by Germany to keep US out Of
the conflict. That is why, when re-
porting the negotiations to the House
OF Commons, he found it impossible
to tell the whole truth and to put i'm
partially what he chose to tell us. He
scoffed at the German guarantee to
Belgium on the ground that it only
secured the Integrity" of the country.
but not it's independence; when the
actual documents appeared it was
found that its independence was Sc
cured as we'll And that is not the
worst. The White Paper contains sew
eral offers which were made to us by
Germany aimed at securing our neu-
trality. None were quite satisfactory
in their form and Sir Edward Grey left
the impression that these unsatisfac-
tory proposals were all that Germany
made Later on the Prime Minister
did the same. Both withheld the full
truth from us. The German arbassa-
dor saw Sir Edward Grey, according
. to the White Paper, on August land
this is our foreign minister's note Of
the conversation:
Suggests Policy.
"The Ambassador pressed me as to
whether l could not formulate condi.
tions upon which we could remain
neutral. He even suggested that the
integrity Of France and her colonies
might be guaranteed"
Sir Edward Grey declined to consid-
err neutrality on any conditions and
refrained from reporting this CONVEX
sation to the House. Why? 1t was the
most important proposal that Germany
made. Had this been told US by Sir
Edward Grey his speech could not
have worked up a war sentiment.
The hard, immovable fact is that Sir
Edward Grey had SO pledged the coun-
try's honor without the country's
knowledge to fight for France or Rus
sIa, that he was not in position even
to discuss neutrality. That was the
state of affairs on July 90 and did not
arise from anything Germany did or
did not do after that date.
Now, the apparent contradiction
that the man who had worked for Eu-
ropean peace was at the same time