New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-21
GREAT BRITAIN'S MOTIVES
"A Defence Of Why She Fights and
What She Fights For.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune. y
Sir; The letter in Sundays Tribpn&oi
]. E. Hubbard, In so far as he deals, wih
preparedness, is in accord with all sound
opinion on the subject But when he goes D.
to insist that the Entente powers are 6ght-
ing, not for civilization, but solely for per.
sonal greed and aggrandzement his letts:
is a tumble of inaccurate statements and
foolish argument.
To begin with, after commenting upon The
hugeness Of the British Empire, he asserts
(by implcation) that England is fighting
solely for commercial supremacy and further
territory.
This, of course, is utter nonsense. II has
been disproved again and again by the naJ
state papers published, which have satisfied
all impartial observers as TO the real reason
Of Englands entry into the war.
Moreover, at the very outbreak Of h,stl'
ties, when Germany invaded Belgium, Tie
Tribune, writing editorially, declared I'm 81.
feet, II not In these precise words) that II
England did not defend Belgium's integrity
it would be forever disgraced."
Then he says: How can England be fight
ing for civilization with Russia for an sllyr
Is Russia any worse than the "unspeskaee
Turk" the friend and ally Of GERMANY
Moreover, Russia had entered the eo-hn'
before Germany declared wo- upon Eng
land. Ought, then, England 10 have r.
Trained from her obvious duty, TO have been
"too proud to fight" because Russia happened
to be engaged against the same enemy!
Next he levels the same charge in respect
of France, (which fights for revenge" as an
ally Of England.
Parenthetically, J. f. Hubbard is unwt
tingly paying a compliment 70 England ID
asmuch as his argument amounts TO nh'
that if the latter country had not been ssso'
ciated with such discreditable allies her
claim to be fighting for civilization eoui'
not be questioned.
But, returning to the charge that France
is fighting solely for revenge. Revenge ior
sooth! France, like her allies, is nghuhs
for her existence, for Germany attacked oe'
frst, knowing that she was unprepared
II the Entente powers win, no dou0'
France will recover her lost provinces. Thai
Is revenge, says our author. What!
thief steals my purse, and then further NAL
treats me, and /, fighting in self-defsnee,
manage to recover my purse, is that revenge ;
The action of Italy, and even Of poor SER
bia, is also dishonorable in the eyes OF TINS
remarkable observer
A later paragraph is as follows: "Engisna'
Germany, Belgium and Austria really do nO'
know what they want, but they all want wns'
the enemy has"
That is true enough Of Germany and Aus
tria, but what, In the name Of fortune, "'
Belgian lamb supposed TO have wanted wac.
she presumably attacked the German Won
England has again and again deelafe'
that she desires no accession Of terri'o1'
though, If the war results favorably, she may
retain some of the German colonies, con.
quered by the South African dominion o''
not so much as an indemnity as for the pu',,
pose of preventing German intrigues sn'
aggression in the future.
The gem of the collection is perhaps 70 %
found in this paragraph: Germany ana bns'
land have insulted US repeatedly, with IN,
result Of the loss Of some two hundre.
American lives" What is the coupling %
these two names in this connection but .,
implication that this loss must be asenoe'.
10 both? In other words, that the infamy "
torpedoing the Lustania and other passen'
ger vessels must be shared as much by bns
land as Germany!
Does this writer think that he Is heipins
the cause Of preparedness by diluting a souns
ease with such an accumulation of aeeroN'
against those nations whom the great ne.
jority Of neutrals acclaim as the defenae''
OF civilization and Of right against mlgh..
r. w. MACKREIh
Ivy, Va. Nov. 0. 1915.