Evening star., 1916-10-25
Must Keep Memory Green.

cure III THIS war.
Must Keep Memory Green.
And to do that I 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 it can
only be by recoliecting 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 it too often;
it affects the conditions Of peace. Ger
many talks of peace; her statesmen
talk of peace today. They say: Ger
many must have guarantees against
being attacked again"
IF this war had been forced upon
Germany that would be a logical state
ment. 1t is precisely because it was
forced by Germany upon Europe, that
1t is the allies who must have guaran-
tees for future peace.
In July, 1914, no one thought of at
lacking Germany. 1t is said that Rus
sia was the first to mobilize. That,
understand, is what is represented in
Germany as justification for the state
ment that the war was not an aggres-
sive war on Germany's part, but was
forced upon her.
The Story of Mobilization.
Russia never made the mobilization
of which Germany has complained un-
til after Germany refused a conference,
and never made it until after the re-
port appeared in Germany that Ger
many had ordered mobilization and
that report had been telegraphed to
Petrograd.
The whole plan of campaign Of the
German stan was to attack through
Belgium, and now it is represented
that they had to attack through Bel
sium because other people had planned
to attack through Belgium. I would
like nothing better than to see those
statements that Russta's mobilization
was an aggressive one and that other
powers-any other power-had traf-
fcked in the neutrality of Belgium or
planned an attack through Belgium
l would like to see those statements
investigated before any independent,
! impartial tribunal.
"Terman organization ia very sue
eessful in some things. but In nothing
more successful than In preventing the
truth from reaching their people and
| which Is not that of truth.
| hen England proposed a confer
ence Russia, France and Italy accepted
the conference. And one power re-
| fused it, When four powers offered a
-
| 1t the powers which offer the confer
ence who are forcing war, or the power
| that refuses IT?
The Emperor of Russia offered The
Hague tribunal. When one sovereign
offers The Hague tribunal and another
| refuses IL. is II the sovereign who offers
reference to The Hague who is forcing
| war?
Offers to Respect Belgium.
| On bo
her pledges to respect the neutrality
of Belgium il Germany would not vio-
late it. And we asked for such pledges.
Was it the power which asked for
pledge and the power which gave a
pledge which were responsible for the
viola ton Of the neutrality of Belgium.
or the power that refused to give the
guarantee?
! Never at any time was there a sug-
sestion that a French or an English
soldier should enter Belgium, unless to
prevent the abolition Of her neutrality,
which had been undertaken by Ger
many.
! IAN efforts to avoid war in 1914 fail
ed. because you cannot have peace
without good will and because in Ger
many there was will to war and not
the will TO peace. But lately the crown
by this war. Yes. yes. it was because
we knew what the sufferings of war
must be and how terrible war in Eu-
rope would be that we tried to avoid
it in 1914. That was the time to be
penetrated with sense OF what war
meant 1t was because we knew what
| it meant that we tried to avoid war
and because We have this experience of
what war does mean We are determined
that the war shall not end until we can
be sure, at any rate, that the generations
and the nations in the future shall not
be subjected to such terrible trial
again.
I'VE were asked by Germany to re-
main neutral on certain conditions. We
were asked to condone violations of |
the neutrality Of Belgium and to give
Germany free hand to take whatever
French colonies she liked. That was the
plan-not only to isolate us, but to
discredit US.
British Neutrality Impossible.
II ask any neutral what would have
been the future Of this country II the |
British government had accepted such |
an offer. There would be no morale. |
no spirit. no nation. We should have |
incurred the contempt of the whole |
world. Happily. tactics 80 gross did not |
succeed.
"I take it on the word of the prime |
minister that we shall fight until we have |
res lhs ndsa equal ane
each in accordance with it's genius, OF all !
states. great and small. as a family Of
civilized mankind.
TN this struggle We have put all our
resources. our wealth. our material. our
labor, and now we have had time to |
equip and train q large army. We have |
put all the best life blood Of the nation. |
shedding it side by side with our alliee. |
stimulated by the energy they are show.
ing in defense Of their countries. and
shedding It because We know our cause is |
theirs and that for the future we shall |
stand and fall togsther without separa.
unity is essential not merely to victory. |
but to our future life and success.
Germany is trying to separate one
from the other, in order to realise her
aim. Not week passes that does not !
confirm our resolution to 60 through |
with our allies. and after the war. I |
trust, the memory Of the suffering We
have undergone together. the memory Of
the Joint courage which Is carrying US
through, will be q perpetual bond Of al
lance and sympathy between our govern
ments and our peoples.
What Neutrals Can Do.