TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1915-03-05

parliament by means Of q sort OF mo
to-car raid brought Conservative lead
ers to town and procured for Sir Edwart
Grey and Mr.. Asquith document rec
emily disclosed by Bonar Law in whic'
he and Lord Lansdowne In the nain'
OF the unionist party undertook to ss'
the war through in the house on con
dition that controversial legislation b.
suspended inter arma.
The undertaking had no relation Il
Belgium. Our crucial obligation wa'
to France. Belgium or no Belgium, bu'
Mr.. Asquith had to put 1t all on Bel
GUM, because the alternative was &
explain to his followers that he had
duped them, and this, even with the
addition tnat he had saved the country
would hardly have contributed to that
stability OF government which Is sup
posed to be national necessity in time
OF war.
say supposed to be" because ] my
self ,.m strongly OF the opinion that
unstable governments = that rs, govern
ments which are like the generals OF
the French revolution, who fought with
their heads in their hands and were on
their best behavior - are much the
best governments, in emergencies or out
OF them.
PRIME MINISTER'S PLIGHT.
II will be seen at once that IL is an
implied part OF the compact between
the prime minister and the opposition
that he must be allowed to save his
face as best as he can. Violation Of the
1899 treaty is perfectly correct, for
NAL plea for our declaration Of war on
Germany, and our national honor is in
no way bound up with Mr.. Asquith's
method Of handling his party organisa.
ton in parliament.
The opposition, being now virtually
in control OF the house and being in a
position TO claim at the next general
election that IL was Bonar Law or that
IL was Lord Lausdowne who saved the
situation when the Liberals were not
trusted by their own leaders, have
every reason to let well enough alone
and wreathe their front brnch with
smiles.
do not know why plain statements
OF these open facts should be described
as "taunts and insults. Still less can
/ see where my repeated demonstrations
oi the hollowness Of neutrality and the
need for getting rid Of It as a danger
Gus delusion should irritate any ono
except those noninterventionist Liberals
who have resolved to cover mp their
submission TO Mr.. Asquith's and Sir
Edward Greys treatment Of them By
affecting q burning Indignation about
scrap Of paper. Least Of ell can ]
see why any Englishman should object
70 my view that we attacked Germany
deliberately and for our own ends.'
Am / expected to declare tfat ws at
,aeked Germany accidentally or ~ q
eatspaw OF Russisf
ARE ENGLISH AIMS HoNoRABLEf
Why 10 it SO difficult to persuade an
Englishman that his own ends can be
honorable and rationale Why will be
insist that II be cannot prove his stat.
esmen 10 be fools he must admit they
are knavesf
You are good enough TO credit me
with carrying some weight abroad !
wish ! could share your faith, but at
all events ! always write with q sense
OF responsibility that comes from the
consciousness OF foreign as well as q
domestic audience.
let ME give you one example Of the
result Of this consciousness. The last
time We were engaged In European
war in which our national existence
was at stake we did something that
has been cited ever since by the mill.
tarism writers as q reduetio ad absur.
dunn OF what they call the sentimental
tiles OF paeiiicism. We suddenly bonn
barded and plundered the capital Of a
neutral state, Denmark, without de.
elaring war on her.
Those among us whom maintain we
should long ago have sunk the German
fleet without notice by nocturnal raid
have relied on this precedent, / havs
in my hand No. OF Der Zeitgeist, a
supplement TO the Berliner Tagsblatt.
IL contains 4 series Of extracts from a
register of 1907 giving. with transla-
tions in parallel column, the royal proc.
laination and the ministerial speeches
ia which this bombardment was justi.
fled.
JUSTIFICATION LIKT GEfMANY's
The Justification is Won Bethmann-
Hollweg's Justification Of the onslaught
on Belgium necessity, self preserve
tion as the first law Of nature. One
speaker, Mines, said ut was the most
iIagitious Of all descriptions Of moral.
ity that would allow an opportunity Of
self preservation TO pass by unim-
proved.
The Berliner Tageblatt sardonieally
offers all this without word Of com.
ment. It win be quoted throughout
f1aruanv .nJ ~.a.fet,aiv nisonlat. 4.