New Britain herald., 1916-05-25
NO PEACE YET,
 GREY ANNOUNCES
All Ideas of Negotiations Impos-
 SibIe, He Tells Commons

London, May 25-In an inn promptu speech in the house of commons last night on the question
 of peace and the propriety of lem p!oyingA the American press as a plat form,' subjects unexpectedly raised
 by Arthur POnsonby, liberal member for Stirling, Scotland, in d strong ad- dress attacking the government for allowing diplomatic etiquette to stand i1: the way of possible peace pour parlers, Sir Edward Grey, the British foreign secretary, set aside all ideas that peace negotiations were possible at the present stage and plainly re- iterated that the position of the Allies was in no way changed
 The foreign secretary declared that 1t was impossible to consider terms of peace without previous agreement between the Entente Allies. Further more, he expressed the decided opinion that the hostilities had not yet reached stage where it was possible to talk of peace, especially as the German public was constantly Icing fed with lies" by their ministers.
 MT. Ponsonby's references to the use of the American press as a ''plat- form" was the outgroWth of recent interview with Sir Edward Grey. Sir Edward, in replying to this attack, while admitting that important dis closures of policy ought first to be made to parliament, argued that a crisis might arise during the war when considerations of etiuuette should not be allowed to stand in the way. He contended that since Ger man statesmen were constantly giv- ing interviews and statements to the American press it would be mere pedantry which would hinder British statesmen from countering these statements in the interests of their own country.
 Want Light on Obligations.
 MT. Ponsonby argued in favor of Countenancing peace possibilities and against prolonging the war merely for the sake of obligations to Great Britain's allies. The speaker said if the war had to be continued until Constantinople fell or until the un-
 
 filled the country ought to be told what those obligations were, and if there were no essential differences hetween Germany and Great Britain and no such obligations, the govern ment ought to take the earliest op- portunity to press for a termination of the war.
 Sir Edward Grey in replying rointed out that his interview con- tained no new declarations. He had no prepared speech or statement to make, but he said that if he thought the German government or German opinion had reached the point where the allied governments could bring nearer a peace comparable with their desires by making speeches about peace he would make dozens of them Put Sir Edward added that such time had not yet arrived and that the Allies were bound by common obligations not to put forward any terms of peace except by mutual agreement.
 MT. Ponsonby in the course of a long speech, made a strong attack on the Governm diplomacy He said the peace of Europe would de- pend on the capacity of statesmen for surveying the great problems in a br oad spirit. The insularity which had characterized British diplomacy in the past constituted the real danger, he said. The government must recognize that the war had reached deadlock, he thought, and st the same time the superior position or Great Britain must also be recog- nized. The latter was due to the spirit and valor of the people and not to statesmen, said the speaker
 Mr. Ponsonby said he hoped the statesmen were not going to imperil the situation by delay and ineptitude. Nothing had helped Germany more than the extreme lingo utterances of responsible statesmen, said he. They had enabled Prussianism to keen Germany together, MT. Ponsonbv said. Recriminations must cease. he declared. He considered it wanting in respect to the British people for the ministers to disregard parliament and adopt the American press as a platform.
 The war would never end, MT. Ponsonby continued, if Great Britain waited until Sir Edward Grey and l Dr. Won Bethman-Hollweg, the Ger l man chancellor. agreed as to who was l responsible for the war. Had Ger l many refused to restore Belgium | France and Serbia and form an independent Poland, had she re- fused to agree to form an interna- tional council to maintain European peace, MT. Ponsonby asked. If she 1 had refused these things the country ought to be told of it.
 We ought not to allow diplomatic etiquette to stand in the way of taking the lead definitely openly and boldly to bring the nations back to :anity and peace," MT. Ponsonby