Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18
DR.. Dernburg Says Other
Equations Could Be Disre-
garded in Making Peace.
WOULD HAVE NATIONS
CONTROL ALL CABLES
Declares in Letter to Americans
That Belgium Cannot Be
Given Up.

| PORTLAND, Me- April i1.-A letter
from Dr. Bernhard Dernburg. former
colonial secretary of the German en-
pire, was read at mass meeting here
tonight at which the German side of
the European war was set forth. DIR.
Dernburg laid stress upon the German
fight for open sea and asserted
that the advantages accruing to Ger
many by permanently retaining the land
which it has taken in Europe could
be disregarded if all the other Ger
man demands, especially guaranteed
free sea, were fully complied with
in making peace and the natural com
mercial relations of Belgium to Ger
many were considered in a just and
worka BILE form.
! Desire of Germany.
Dr Dernburss letter, in part, follows:
Il car with full authority disclaim
any ambition for my country for world
dominion She is much too modest on
the one hand and too experienced on the
other not to know that such state
will never be tolerated by the rest. The
aim of Germany is to have the seas as
we'll as the narrows kept permanently
open for the free use of all nations IN
times of war as well as IN Tunes OF
far as to neutraliZe all the seas and
uarrows permanently by common and
effective agreement guaranteed by all
the powers.
For Joint Cable System.
"A free sea is useless except COM
| bined with freedom of cable and mail
communication. | should like to see
| all the cable Jointly owned by the in
tenn oversee established by common
consent.
The only alternative to an open sea
and free intercourse policy would be a
| Chinese wall around each country. IL
there is no free intercourse. every coun-
=! try must become self-sufficient Ger
many has proven that it be done.
| But this policy would mean very high
| customs barriers. discrimination. I'M
| bounded egotism and world bristling
| in arms.
Not Striving for Territory.
! Germany does not strive for terri
| torial ACKNOWLEDGMENT in Europe; she
does not believe In conruerins and sub
| jugatny unwilling nations. Belgium
commands the main outlet of western
| German trade. is the natural foreland OF
| the empire and has been conquered with
| untold sacrifice Of blood and treasure.
| 1t offers to German trade the only outlet
! to an open sea. and has been politically
established, maintained and defended by
England in order to keep these natural
advantages from Germany
THE love for small peoples that
England heralds now will never stand
investigation as shown by the destruc-
ton of the small Boer republics. SO
Belgium cannot be given up However
these considerations could be disre-
garded if all the other German de-
| mands. especially guaranteed free
sea. were fully complied with and the
natural commercial relations of Bel
GUM to Germany were considered in Il
just and workable form. In this case
Germany will not fail when the time
comes to help rebuild the country;
in fact, she is doing now.
In concluding. DIR. Dernburg wrote:
"a permanent peace will mean that
German activity must get wide scope
without infringement upon the rights
| of others.