New Britain herald., 1917-03-31
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 Londlk - .esd Robert, Cecil. - Bfle kos 1Rde. aoainiS M Ma5 made reply laat u Fl the iskest | fIi terances of Dr. Tn Betlina nn-Holf- a4eg the German ilt1e4al lncellor,
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 The Gss chancello ps that .aernanya tha. past feno5 ed the >hnrestrictedS use of her anarine lEeanon in tho expectation x1Et Great sk!rfta5n could be made to obser7e in 1eF ockade policy the laws Aofahu-s ardA international agree diMcult td say whether flflH statement is the Iaore remarkable for its hypoc- risy for Its falseness. It would sllardlX seem that Germany is in a position to speak of humanity or in- ternatfoNaT agreements, since she be- gan tAts war by deliberately violating the International agreement. guaran-s steeing the neutrality of Belgium. and has continued it by violating all the dictates, of humanity" Has the chancellor forgotten that the German forces have been guilty of Sxcesses in Belginm, unparalleled in history. culminatings in the at tempted enslavement of 8 dauntless people. of poisoning wells, of bonn barding open towns, torpedoing hos- pital ships and sinking other vessels with total disregard for the safety of ncn-combatants on board, with the result that many hundreds of inno- cent victims, including both, women and children, have lost their lives?
 'Theflatest manifestation of this policy is to be seen in the devastation and deportations, carried out by the Germans in their forced retreat on the western front.
 Quotes the Chancellor.
 ''The Chancellor states that it is because the Allies have not aban- doned their blockade and have refused the so-called peace offer of Germany that unrestricted submarine warfare is now decided on. And to this will do no mare than quote what the Chancellor himself said in the Reich stag, when announcing the adoption of unrestricted war.
 He said that as soon as he himself. in agreement with the supreme army command, reached the conviction that ruthless U-boat warfare would bring Germany nearer to 8 victorious peace. then the. U-boat warfare would be started. He continued:
 This moment has now arrived. Last autumn the time was not ripe, but today the moment has, come when, with the greatest prospect of success. we can undertake this enterprise. We must not wait any longer. Where has there been a change? In the first place the most important fact of all is that the number of our submarines has been very considerably increased as compared with last spring. and thereby a firm basis has been created for success.
 Does not this prove conclusivelys that 1t was not any scrnple or any re- spect for international law or neutral warfare from being adopted earlier, but merely lack of means to carry it out.
 
 to point out that the illegal and in- human attack on shipping by the Ger mans cannot be justified as a reprisal for the action of Great Britain in at- tempting to cut off from Germany all imports.
 Contemplated Late in 1914.
 "The submarine campaign was clearly contemplated as far back as December 1914, when Admiral von Tfrpitz gave an indication to an American correspondent in Berlin of the projected plan.
 '.As for the plea that the Allies are aiming at the annihilation of Ger many and her allies and that ruthless warfare is therefore, justified it is sufficient in order to refute this to quote the following passage from the Allies reply of January 10, 1917, to President Wilson's note:
 "aThere is no need to say that if the Allies desire to liberate Europe from the brutal covetousness of Prussian militarism. the exterminA- ton and political disappearance of the German people have never. as has been pretended, formed part of their, design Ns5
 "The allusion made to Russia by the German Chancellor can hardly be treated seriously A government of Hohenzollerns cannot pose as tho champions of freedom and self -gov- ernment n against ailtocracy. When the German people enjoy the benefits of truly representative government and are no longer dominated by military autocracy, Germany may appear in that role, but not until then.''