The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-10-27
Sir Edward Grey Speaks to
Newspaper Men
NOT READY FOR PEACE
Neutrais Must be Ready to Fight to
Give Effect to Their Views,
He Tells Press Asso-
citation.


tary for foreign affairs, at a lunch
given by the Foreign Press Associa-
tion, at which the diplomatic repre-
sentatives Of the allied countries
were present
The foreign secretary made IL plain
that the allies wc.e not prepared 10
discuss peace terms, and gave no in
dication of what their terms might
be, but welcomed any efforts by neu-
tral countries for a combination TO
prevent future wars. Some of the
most important passages Of the sec
retary's speech follow:
81 would like 10 talk, not indeed.
which can only be stated and tormt-
lated by the allies together, and not
by any one of them separately, but
about the general objects which the
allies must secure in this war. And
10 do that | would ask you to recall
that we must never forget how the
war came about. If we are to ap-
proach peace in a proper spirit il can
be only by recollecting and recalling,
and never for a moment forgetting
what was the real cause of the war,
"Some people say: oh, we need
not go back over that old ground
now: everybody knows it
You cannot go back to II too Of
ten: 1t affects the conditions OF
peace. Germany talks OF peace; her
statesmen talk OF peace today. They
say: Germany must have guaran-
tees against being attacked again.
eff this war had been forced upon
Germany, that would be a logical
statement. II is precisely because
II was not forced upon Germany, but
was forced by Germany upon Europe.
that il is the allies who must have
guarantees for future peace.
I'm July, 1914. no one thought OF
attacking Germany. II Is said that
Russia was the first to mobilize; that
understood is what Is represent
ed in Germany as Justification for the
statement that the war was not an
aggressive war on Germany's part,
but was forced upon her.
Russia never made the mobiliza-
ton, of which Germany has complain
ed, until after Germany refused a
conference and never made II until
after the report appeared In Ger
many that Germany had ordered mo-
bilization and that report had been
telegraphed TO Petrograd.
The whole plan Of campaign OF
the German staff was to attack
through Belgium. and now 1t is rep
resented that they had to attack
through Belgium because other peo-
pie had planned TO attack through
Belgium. | would like nothing better
than to see those statements that
Russia's mobilization was an agrees
sive one and that other powers, any
other power, had trafficked in the
neutrality of Belgium or planned an
attack through Belgium would like
TO see those statements investigated
before any dependent. impartial tri-
bunal.
when England proposed a con-
ference, Russia, France and Italy ac-
cepted the conference. and one power
refused il. When four powers offered
a conference and one power refused
It, is It the powers which offer the
conference who are forcing war, or
the power that refuses it?
ION the very eve OF war France
gave her pledges to respect the neu-
trality of Belgium if Germany would
not violate it. And we asked for
such pledges Was ii the power
which asked for a pledge and the
power which gave a pledge which
were responsible for the violation OF
the neutrality of Belgium, or the pow
er that refused TO give the guarantee?
Will to War, Not to Peace.
"All efforts to avoid war in 1914
failed. because you cannot have peace
without good will. and because In
Germany there was a will TO war and
not the will to peace. But lately the
Crown Prince deplored the loss OF
life caused by this war. Yes, yes, II
was because we knew what the suf-
ferings of war must be and how ter
TlDlt NdI III T.ulbpt Nbhih bN NAeN
we tried to avoid IL in 1914.
'1 take II on the word of the prime
minister that we shall fight until We
have established the supremacy and
night of free development under equal
conditions. each in accordance with
its genius. on all states. great and
small. as family o; civilized man
kind
"ln this struggle we have put all
our resources. our wealth. our ma
terial our labor and now we have
had time 10 equip and train a large
army. We have put all the best life
blood of the nation. shedding Il side
hy side with our allies, stimulated by
the energy they are showing in de-
fence of their countries and shedding
Il because we know our cause is
theirs and that for the future
we shall stand and fall together. with
out separation Of one from the other.
feeling that unity is essential not
merely TO victory. but to our future
life and success"