The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-13
MAJORITY'S DECLARATION

economic battle afterwards.
MAJORITY'S DECLARATION
The declaration of the majority of
the group read by their secretary,
Hubert Rouger, in the chamber was
as follows:
THE socialists vote the appropria-
tons asked for by the government in
order that France, brutally attacked
and menaced to its very heart. may
overcome the forces the central en-
pires have launched against her and
her allies, because it is ready for all
sacrifices to ensure the territorial in
tegrity of France, and in order that
Alsace- Lorraine may obtain the repara-
ton of rights trodden upon in 1871, to
assure the entire political and eco
nonic restoration of Belgium and Ser
via and to asquire the Certainty of
durable peace"
its decision to vote these appropria-
lions does not mean that 1t approves in
every way the form in which they are
employed. 1t considers that the finan-
cial economic policies of the govern
ment are not such as the war imposed
upon the country, criticizes delay and
weakness in the application of meas
ures against high prices and thinks
haste should be used in organizing the
more efficacious co-ordinance of the
efforts of allies, diplomatic and mil
itary. Leading up to the important
question of peace, the declaration said
"A year ago we took due note of
the declaration Of the president Of the
cabinet to the effect that the future
peace should permit the developm en- t
OF each people according to its own
genius. Since that epoch, Bethmann
Won Hollweg has spoken. We appre :
ciated the terms in which Mr. AsGuith
and Sir Edward Grey replied to him.
without brutal phrasing and bragga-
docio, and have several times exposed
how they intend to submit to their
parliaments any propositions for a
general and serious peace that may be
made to them. and how they wished
to establish a peace founded upon in
terna tional contracts"
Then follows a statement which
clearly refers to the discourse Of Presi-
dent Poincare at Nancy. in which. re-
ferring to Bethmann Won Hollweg's
utterances he declared, I'VE do not
want Germany to offer us peace. We
want her to SAX it of u.s.
This part of the statement says: I'VE
regret that our government, the only
organ responsive according to the con-
stitution before the war, and the peo-
pie do not seize the occasion through
the president of the cabinet to oppose
by measured and deliberate words the
French conception Of peace to the Ger
man conception of peace formulated by
Bethmann Won Hollweg and combatted
by the socialist minority of the Reich
stag
"It is not sufficient for M. Bethmann
Won Hollweg to count upon the map of
the war. Mastership of the seas. con-
frmed by the British naval victory of
Jutland the heroic battle before Yer
I,,r. -1@I~ k@vr l. t.
tory, give sufficient evidence that the
allies are not ready to suffer the will
of the adversary.
But 1T is to reinforce the power of
that adversary for its own people, 1t is
to reject the aid of imponderable NOR
al forces, If we facilitate the affirma-
ton of the chancellor of the empire
before his people, the false affirmat ton
that the war had for its object at it's
origin and will have for consequences
the destruction of the political liberty
of Germany or the annihilating of its
economic life.
NO ECONOMIC CONFLICT
cat this time it appears to all that,
in order to avoid a return of the bar
barity unclaimed on Europe, we must
think Of what has already been called
the society of nations To that end,
If 1t is necessary to vigorously oppose
to those who know nothing but vio-
lent solutions our will to arrive at
the rightful solutions to which alone
the coalised forces of nations will
bring the weight of their sanction.
1--WE affirm here that all the allied
nations must take the measures that
will develop their production and
their exchange, that will favor the
growth of their economic union and
will protect them from disloyal COM
petition, but our duty is not to rein
force a regime of extreme protection
ism of which the working classes OF
all the countries would bear the
charge, nor even to develop in regard
to Germany a vital system Of economic
restriction that would be at the same
time a source of certain future con-
flicts and perhaps for our own country
a reason forjndustrial and commercial
incidence
eve will not accept prolon ging in
an economic war of the disasters OF the
European war.
Peace all the people desire No one,
assuredly, without a criminal intent
against humanity already so tried.
would dare to ask for a useless pro-
longation of the pest that devastates
Europe. The socialism that aspires to
represent the interest of the people has
to watch that no possibility of a seri-
Gus peace escapes. 1t is the duty of the
II such a proposition
should be made, to examine it with the
double care of preventing new sacri-
fees and new distinctions, and to
found regime of international right
destined to assure the repose of the
world for a long time
1T is because we believe we are In
accord with all France upon these es
sential ideas, because we think also
tnat we serve the universal establish
ment of democratic and socialistic in