The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-04

BalfOur Tells OF England's General
Aim I'm War.

London, July 30.-John AMMAN
Bryce OiboraD. referring in the
house of commons today to the recent
statement Of Lord Robert Cecil, min
lister of blockade. that the dismem.
bernment Of Austria was not one of
Great Britain's war aims, said the
statement would create difficulties be-
cause Great Britain's engagements
with her allies could not be continued
If the Austrian empire was to be main
tained.
italy, on the strength of these en-
gagements. Mr.. Bryce said, would not
be content merely with a rearrange-
ment Of the Trentino region.
The references to Great Britain's
war aims by Mr.. Bryce and others,
including Noel Buxton, who said that
an unfortunate impression had got
abroad in Europe as a result of the
speeches in the house of commons
that Great Britain favored policy of
annexation, but would not define her
aims, brought an interesting reply
from A. J. Balfour. the foreign Sec
retary.
Mr.. Balfour said the government
had been asked to declare it's policy.
put he was not sure If that would be
wise course. When every min
isterial statement was treated as q
pledge. 1t was dangerous to accede to
requests for definite announcements.
With respect to the Jugo-Slav and
Austrian question. said the secretary,
1t was impossible to foretell the po-
sition In which the world would find
itself when the problems came to be
decided and he would be doing a very
Ill service were he to attempt to define
the position now.
"As everybody knows" continued
Mr. Balfour. I'VE first entered the war
to defend Belgium and prevent France
from being crushed before our eyes.
Our purposes were completely unself-
ish; therefore we stood in a different
position from any of our allies. We
hoped to see Europe freer and more
stable"
Mr.. Balfour expressed an opinion
which was simply his own when he
said that If France asked for Alsace-
Lorraine Great Britain should sup
port her, but he declared that France
was not fighting for Alsace- Lorraine
alone; she was lighting for her very
existence.
AS to the characterization of Ger
many, said the secretary, it has been
hoped that autocracy would give
place to parliamentary institutions,
but nobody was foolish enough to
suppose that 1t would be possible to
impose on Germany a constitution
made outside Of Germany. Until Ger
many was either made powerless or
free he did not think the peace of
Europe could be secured. The fight
must 60 on, for if this war ended with
German peace, that would only be
prelude to new European war. If
the peace was to be one that England
and America, which had no interest
on the continent, could approve, then
1t would lead to permanent settle
ment, which would in turn condGce to
that great understanding of the ma
tiOns. which would give Europe Sc
curity it had never known before.
Germany must work out her saliva
tion." continued Mr.. Balfour. "You
do not mend matters by imposing a
constitution even If you have the pow
or. Nations must make tlielr scheme
Of liberty for themselves, according
to their own ideas and based on their
history, character and hopes.
But II 1t Is true that the great pow
er of German imperialism is still de.
pending upon the belief that only ,li,-
der the imperial system can Ger
many be great, powerful and rich
then II experience shows that the i'm
perialistic system can produce not
merely triumph of one time, but in
evitably lead to corresponding dis
asters at another. it may we'll be that
those views, which found such pow.
erful expression in Germany in 1866
and which animated all German
teachers for more than q generation
before the Bismarcksian domination
Will revive with new lustre and new
strength. and that Germany, with al
her powers Of organization and all hei
inherited cultivation, will be added tc
those nations which before the wal
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