The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-02-23
Admiral Lord Charles Beresford Says No Mer-
chantman Would be Destroyed by Acct
dent Purely by Design.
AIMED AND FIRED FROM BERLIN
To Save His Face and to Have America ParticiT;
pate in the Peace Negotiations are Given
as Benefits to the Kaiser.

likeEer reason is the fact that II
America should participate in the war,
she necessarily would participate in
the peace negotiations. 1t is unlikely
your country would be invaded or
would suffer to the extent our allies
have Therefore, America would en-
ter the negotiations without the
tpiognant hatred naturally affecting
those countries whose homes have
been invaded, cities and farms DESC
lated and people massacred
Then, too, Americans don't have
the reputation of being revengefu1.
You are-what shall call it-easy,
just as we Britishers are.
There can be no doubt now but
that regardless OF the time 1t will
take to end the war, or the toll Of
men and money to be exacted, Ger
many must ultimately. Jose. II Is OBJ
yious that Germany S resources, in q
test 0f endurance cannot equal the
allies combined resources. Under the
circumstances. It is not unreasonable
to suppose that Germany already Is
giving serious consideration to factors
entering into peace negotiations. Sit
ting at a peace conference table,
America with great commercial de-
mands for an early settlement and
relatively lesser grievances, would
undoubtedly be valuable asset for
Germany"
But with this SO obvious. why will
not America avoid the clash?" asked.
Young man." answered Lord Beres-
ford, your nation Is a democracy.
The weakness of every democracy is
that It desires peace above all else
and its determination to maintain
peace. often goes to absurd lengths.
Democracy is always more jealous Of
its honor and quicker to resent any
question involving its safety than any
other form of government. Coinci-
dentally democracy loves strong,
firm-handed leader in times Of stress
and SO long as that leadership Is sue
cessful, will follow unquestionably to
the end of the situation.
"In this trait OF all democracies is
found the explanation OF the British
confidence in Kitchener ! have noted
American press references to the sur
render Of the government to Kitchen
err Nothing could show greater mis-
understanding of the situation. There
Is no dictatorship here. but once a
democracy like ours enters gigantic
struggle. there Is as much need Of In
tensifed efficiency as in a country
which has bowed its head to the yoke
Of military depotism. To obtain this
efficiency, a f1rm hand vested with
full authority is necessary Instead
of rejecting upon democracy and
proving it failure, England's accom-
plishment in seven months of what
cost Germany forty years effort, is
the highest and final tribute to the
success Of democracy
Certainly If any proof is needed Of
the baselessness of Germany's charge
that England wanteG war. it is found
in the situation in which Kitchener
and the admiralty have met and over
come England was never more un-
prepared on land or sea. Had we ex-
pected war, the mining of the North
sea trade routes would never have
been possible.
Deceived by the intensity of our
desire for peace, we were at the out
set caught off our guard. Hence Ger
many was given the greatest naval
opportunity she will ever enjoy. But
she failed to grasp it. Ready and de-
termined to have war, as her military
activities have shown she was. Ger
many ha6 the opportunity before the
declaration to rush cruisers and arm
ed merchantment out along all Brit
ish trade routes. whereupon the open
ing OF hostilities they could have sunk
thousands of our merchantmen before
we could have protected them. The.
extent OF the opportunity Germany
lost. is best illustrated by the dam
age done by the cruisers Emden and
karlsruhe. This failure leads me to
believe that at the last minute the
kaiser was rushed into war without
giving to the naval end the considera-
fCnnfinued ON paga Il