New Britain herald., 1915-01-25
DEFENDS HIS PHRASE,
 ~SCRAP OF PAPER"
German Chancellor Surprised at Us-
 favorable Impression in J. s.


 Berlin and London. Jan. 24.--'I am surprjshed to learn that my phrase a. scrap of papcr,' which l used in my last conversation with the British am bassador in reference to the Bel gium neutrality treaty, should have caused such an unfavorable impress sion in the United States. The cN- presSion was used in quite another connection, and the meaning of that implied in Sir William Edward Goshens report and the turn given to 1t in the biased comment of our enemies are undoubtedly responsible for this impression
 The speaker was Dr. Theobald von BethmannHollweg the German inn perial chancellor. and the conversa- ton with representative of the As sociated Press occurred at the Ger man army field headquarters, in town of northern France, and in a. villa serving as the office and dwell- ing for the imperial chancellor, for the foreign minister, Gottlleb von JagoW, and for the members of the diplomatic suite accompanying Em- peror William aheld
 The chancellor apparently had not relished the subject until his atten- ton was called to the extent which the phrase had been used in discussion on the responsibility of the war. He then volunteered to give an eXplana- tion of his meaning, which is sub stance was that he had spoken of the treaty, not as a scrap of paper for Germany. but as an instrument which had become obsolete through Bel gium's forfeiture of it's neutrality; and that Great Britain had quite other reasons for entering into the war, compared with which the neu- trality treaty appeared to have only the value of a scrap of paper.
 His Talk With Goschen.
 My conversation with Sir William Edward Goschen,' said the chancellor, "occurred August 4. I had just de- clared in the Reichstag that only dire necessity and only the struggle for eX- istence compelled Germany to march through Belgium, but that Germany was ready to make compensation for the wrong committed.
 "When I spoke I already had cer tain indications, but no absolute proof upon which to base a public accusa- tion, that Belgium long before had abandoned it's neutrality ill it's rela- tions with England. Nevertheless took Germany's responsibilities toward the neutral states so seriously that I spoke frankly of the wrong committed by Germany.
 What was the British attitude on the same question?" asked the chan cellor. "The day before my conversa- ton with a MT. Goschen. Sir Edward Grey (British secretary of state for foreign affairs) had deliverer his we'll known speech in parliament, in which, while he had not stated eX- pressly that England would take part in the war, he had left the matter in little doubt.
 EngIand's Intervention.
 "One needs only to read tlrs speech carefully to learn the reason for Englands intervention in the war. Amid all his beautiful phrases about England's honor and Englands obligations, we find it over and over again expressed that England's in own interests--call for in the war. for it is not in England's interests that victori- ous and therefore, stronger Germany should emerge from the war.
 ''This old principle of English D policy-to take as the sole criterion of its actions it's private interests re- gardless of right, reason or consid- eration of humanity-is expressed in that speech of Gladstones in 1870 on Belgian neutrality, from which Sir quotes
 "Mr. Gladstone then declared that he was unable to subscribe to the doc- Urine that the simple fact of the ex- of nj io every party thereto, irrespective all together of the particular question in which it may find itself at time when the occasion for action on the guaran -~ arrives; and he referred to such F. dish statesmen as Aberdeen and Palmerston as supporters of his views.
 England drew the sword,' contin- ucd the chancellor, "only because it 1 believed its own interests demanded 1 it. Just for Belgian neutrality she l would never have entered the war
 That is what l meant when I told l Sir William Edward Goschen in that { last interview, when we sat down to | talk the matter over privately, man to man, that among the reasons l which had impelled England to go in- to the war the Belgian neutrality i treaty had for her only the value of l 8 scrap of paper.
 His Hope For Peace Shattered.
 'I may have been a bit excited and | aroused" said the chancellor. "Who would not have been at seeing the hopes and the work of the whole period of my chancellorship going for I recalled to the ambassa- dor my efforts for years to bring about an understanding between Eng land and Germany, an understanding which. I reminded him. would have made a. general European war impos- sible and which absolutely would have