The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-01-25
TURN ON THE LIGHT.

ClNllTi Shy nat Ine IFedI yer
man army was not actually menace
but a, necessity for protection. That
the English papers were publishing
hints of alliances against Germany
more than eight years ago. All
this seemed clear to Lloyd George
then, but the shoe is on the other
foot now. r. Rosebrook.
And for this reason we submit
an extract of speech made by
Lloyd George, now prime minister
OF England, at Queens hall, London,
July, 1908, as quoted in the New
York American, by the Rev. DR..
Charles F. Aked, himsef an English
man. Lloyd George then and there
said:
There are people in this coun-
try, and people in q very exalted po-
sition, and people of great expert
ence, who are firmly under the i'm
preston that Germany means to at
tack us. There are people in Ger
many who are equally convinced that
we are preparing to attack them.
And from fear of each other we arm
and rush to the very quarrel which
we are afraid of"
To quote further:
'The fact of the matter is, we are
just afraid of each other; and we
are building against each other. We
are imputing designs on each other
equally without foundation. The
only thing that is real is the eXpend-
iture. That / know. They think
we are getting up a great European
organization against them; so they
build ships. We think they are go
ing to invade us; SO we build ships.
Il want to put two considerations
to you from the German point of
view Every misunderstanding and
quarrel is largely matter of lack
of imagination. Men have not got
the imagination to project them
selves into the position of the other
party.
Now just consider for a moment.
You say, Why should Germany be
frightened of us?' Let me put two
considerations to you. We started;
it is not they who have started. We
had an overwhelming preponderance
at sea which would have secured us
against any conceivable enemy. We
were not satisfied. We said, Let
there be- dreadnaughts' What for?
We did not require them. Nobody
was building them; and if anybody
had butt them we could easily have
outbuilt them.
I'VE have more shipbuilding re-
sources than any country in the
world, and more than every coun-
try in the world put together; so
really there was no need for it.
Well, let me put another consider
alton before you which l don't
think is sufficiently pointed out. We
always say We must have what We
call a 'two-power standard What
does that mean? You have a navy
large enough to oppose a COmbina-
ton OF any two naval powers. So
if we had Russia and France. Germa-
ny and France, Germany and lily
We should always have a feet large
enough to defend our shores against
any combination of the two greatest
powers in Europe. This has been
our standard.
Look at the position of Germany.
Her army is to her what our navy
is to usher sole defense against
invasion. She has not got two
power standard. She may have a
stronger army than France, than
Italy, than Austria, but she is be-
tween two great powers who in COM
bination could pour in vastly great.
or number of troops than she has.
Don't forget that when you Won
der why Germany is frightened at
alliances and understandings and
some sort of mysterious workings
which appear in the press, and hints
in the Times and Daily Mail (Lord
Northcliffes papers).
Il remember motoring on Sunday
morning in Germany, and | picked
up a German newspaper, and the
only words | could read were Obser-
yer and Daily Mail, so asked a
friend what it meant, and he said
it was an extract full of menaces to
Germany. and the German paper had
copied it. All that means some
thing in Germany.
Here is Germany, in the middle
of Europe, with France and Russia
on either side, and with combina-
tion OF their armies greater than
hers. Suppo5e we had here pos
sible combination which would lay
US open to nyasion-suppose Ger
i many and France, or Germany and
! Russia, or Germany and Austria,
had fleets switch in combination
would be stronger than ours.
Would not we be frightened.
would not we build, would not we
arm? or course we should.
want our friends, who think that
because Germany is little fright
ened she really means mischief to
US, to remember that she. is fright
ened for a reason which would
/ brighten us under the same cir
rum 81 anpoS y II, HOpn1liu0