The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-04-14
Asquith Tells Visiting French
Statesmen
BRITISH RESOLUTION FIRM
Not Aiming to Destroy Germany's
National Life-Negotiation Be-
tween Neutral Nations Shall
Never be Hampered.

senators ana deputies at LdnCdSlcl
House, Premier Asquith took the OPP
portunity to reply to the speech re-
Gently delivered in the Reichstag by
the imperial German chancellor, DR..
Won Bethmann Hollweg. Those pres
ent included Earl Kitchener. the
Marquis of Lansdowne, Sir Edward
Grey, j. Austen Chamberlain, Sir
Walter Runciman, Lewis Harcourt.
Viscount Bryce, A. j. Balfour and
Lord Robert Cecil.
The premier, in proposing the toast
Our Guests" referred TO Won Beth
mann Holweg's claim 20 readiness on
the part of Germany to negotiate
peace. and said
''The German chancellor wanted
us to assume the attitude of de-
feated TO victorious adversary. But
we are not defeated, we are not going
TO be defeated"
Reiterating that the allies were
only prepared for peace on the terms
Mr.. Asquith proceeded:
The chancellor first misquotes my
language, then proceeds to distort its
obvious meaning and intention. Great
Britain and France entered the war
not to strangle Germany or wipe her
off the map of Europe, not to destroy
or mutilate her national life, certainly
nnf 70 into .EaN
cellor's language, the free exercise OF
her peaceful endeavors
"As a result of the war we intend
TO establish the principle that inter
national problems must be handled
by free negotiations on equal terms
between free peoples, and that this
settlement shall no longer be hamp-
cred or swayed by the overmastering
dctation Of government controlled
by military caste. That is what |
mean by the destruction of the mill
tary domination of PTussia-nothing
more, but nothing less"
Abiding to the fate of Serbia, and
Montenegro, following similar fate
suffered by Belgium, the premier
said:
I'VE are in this struggle the cham
pions not only of treaty rights but
of the independent status and free
development of weaker countries. In
the circumstances, cynicism would
hardly 60 further than in the chan
cellor's claim that ii is for Germany
of all powers-to insist when peace
comes on giving various races a
chance of free evolution along the
lines of their mother tongue and ma
tional individuality. Apparently, this
principle is 10 be applied | suppose,
on approved ,Prussian lines, both to
Poland and Belgium"
Contending that the Poles have had
an Illuminating experience of the
German ideas of a free evolution Of
this kind, Mr.. Asquith continued:
"The attempt to Germanize Poland
has been for the last 90 years at once
the strenuous purpose and colossal
failure Of Prussian domestic policy
Nobody knows this better than the
chancellor, for he has been one of it's
principal instruments.
"The Wholesale strikes of Polish
children against the attempts to force
the employment of the German Ian
guage, the barbarous floggings in
ficted upon them, the arrest and i'm
prisonment of their mothers" con-
tinued the premier form a black
chapter even in the ANNALS of Prus-
sian culture. 1t is with this record
that the chancellor sheds tears over
the fate of what he calls the long
suppressed Flemish race wonder
what the Flemish race itself thinks
Of the prospect the chancellor opens
out TO It,
The chancellor says that after the
war there must be new Belgium.
which must not be a Franco English
vassal, but between whose people
and the Germans, who burned their
churches, pillaged their towns. tram
pied their liberties, there is to be in
the future the collaboration of
neighbors.
MY answer is very simple one
The allies desire. and are determined
TO see once again the old Belgium.
She must not be allowed TO suffer
permanently from the wanton, wick
ed invasion of her freedom. and that
which has been broken down must
be- repaired and restored"
Declaring that he would not waste
words on the imperial chancellors
"lame and half-hearted attempt TO
Justify the wholesale use of the sub
marine for the destruction of lives
and property" the premier said:
''The allies are prepared to justif,
the legality of all the measures they
have taken as covered by the prin-
oiples and spirit of international
law applied to the Developments Of
modern war. These have been car
ried out with the stTictest regard 10
humanity, and we are not aware of
a single instance of a neutral life
having been lost by reason of the
allies blockade"