The Washington times., 1915-08-26
BERLIN PEACE PLAN
MPOSS|BLE-GREY
Reply to Bethmann.HoIIweg De-
cIares Allies Fight for Right
to Freedom.

LONDON, Aug. c6.-The positive as
sertion that Great Britain Is determined
to continue to fight until Germany
abandons her ambition Of supremacy
has been made In a statement issued
by Sir Edward Grey, in reply to the
speech last week Of DIR. Won Bethmann-
Hollweg. the German imperial chancel-
lor. in the reichstag.
Dr. Won Bethmann-H Hollweg had de-
clared in his speech that the press Of
the allies had ignored the publication
Of reports OF Belgian diplomatic repre-
sentatives in the capitals Of England,
France and Germany. found by the
German authorities in Brussels.
Sir Edward Grey's statement Is d
complete &C % refutsl g Of the German s,aa1
plan by Britain to violate Belgium's 8
neutrality. The British foreign min
lister states specifically that Germany
wanted the war and caused 1t by re-
fusing the proposal Of a conference
which would have settled the Serbian
1t was not this refusal that decide
British participation in the present
conflict. Sir Edward Grey points out
in his statement. but 1t signed death
warrants Of hundreds Of thousands
who have been killed in this war.
rs there one candid soul in Ger
many or in Austria Hungary" ask 8
the British statesman. who. looking
back upon the last year, does not re-
gret that the proposal for that con-
ference was not acceptei?"
For Freedom of Seas.
Sir Edward formally declares that
Great Britain will not discuss the free
dom Of the seas while there exists un-
freedom and insecurity against war
and against German methods of war
on land.
mo convention or agreement existed
between the British and Belgian gov
ernments. Why does the German
cha nce'lor ignore entirely that in April.
1913. I told the Belgian minister en-
Of Belgium. as in the cases Of other
neutral countries, that their neutrality
should be respected and as long as 1t
was not violated by any power we
~saa ssss p HGt SWard srRa our
What is the true story? On July
20. 1911 the German chancellor tried
to bribe us, by the promise, of future
BELGIAN independence to become a
trality by Germany.
This can and shall be explained by
publishing the account of the negotih-
tions as taken from the records Of the
foreign office: Nor did say anything
interest Of Germany. we would have
gone into the war with the object Of
restraining Russia
"The war would have been avoided II
the conference had been agreed TO. Ger
many. on the flimsiest pretext. shut the
door against it. would wreck nothing
on the point ofVorm. expressed my:
self ready to acquicsce in any method
of mediation Germany could suggeSt.
II mine was not accepta BILE for media
ton, said I was ready to come to the
operation Of any methods that Ger
many thought possible. II only, Germany
would press the button in the interest
Of peace.
Some day. perhaps. the world will
know what really passed between Ger
many and Austria respecting the ulti-
THE points outstanding could have
been settled honorabiy and fairly by the
conference in a week.
Signs Death Warrants.
The refusal by Germany to accept
the proposal Of the conference to decide
the question whether there should be
warrant Of many hundreds of thousands
who have been killed in this war
Nor must it be forgotten that the
Emperor Of Russia proposed to the Ger
man Emperor that the Austro- Serbian
dispute should be settled by The Hague
tribunal. Is there one candid soul In
Germany or Austro-Hungary. looking
back upon the past year who does not
regret that neither the British nor the
Russian proposal was accepted?
What is the German program now
Germany wants to control the destiny
Of all other nations
Not on such terms can peace be con-
| cluded. nor the life OF other nations
than Germany be free and tolerate. Ger
many Is fGhting for supremacy. Along
with our allies we are fighting and must
nght for the right to live not under
DOM"