Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-02
GcrmanyGuilty eNigerent
That Sacrifices Honor
and All Else to
ambition.
BY BOOTII HARRINGTON.

BY BOOTH HARRINGTON.
Every ordinary man can remember
that during his boyhood there was one
vital point upon which he always in
sisted whenever he was threatened
with discipline for getting into a fight:
"lIe began it,.
Boys realize that justice rests upon
the question, Who was the assailant?
And almost every boy has more than
once suffered under the sting Of an
adult injustice which. declining to in
vcstigat.. punished him Tor lighting"
when he had been merely defending
himself. OF course, self Tense does
not consist entirely of warding Ges
lures. for If it did it could not defend.
\ person attacked must either he
beaten or take his choice OF running
away or OF striking back; and If tho
assailant is the specdicr. running away
is mere postponcmcnt of being
beaten. But spectators of d conflict
especially If they have not noted or
comprehcndcd its bcginnins) almost
always take a superior position of dis
rusted inpaytiality. "Brutes." they
say. "Fightins' They ought to be
ashamed Of thcmselvcs.'
Now. any boy understands that
the most important question about any
fight IS Who started it, so any boy
also Understands that the question next
in order and next in Importance is
why did he start it," Any boy UNI
dcrstands that just peace cannot be
made unless it takes these two ques-
tons into vital account. and that dis
culinary measures not founded upon
a
vicious. Any boy understands that !.
peacemakcr or disciplinarian who
places both bclligcren,s upon the same
plane is not only unjust. but, in effect.
! stupidity partial TO the cause OF the
guilty bclligcrcnt-for one belligcrent
! is guilty.
Al SrRIA AND GERMANY
DECLARED WAR On OTHERS
! People who do not understand these
/ furd.iIn"nt;.l matters are not wise
as boys and every man has but 10
Turn back N mcnory TO his boyhood
| TO krow that the important questions
| in regard TO any fight are WHO start
ed it, and Why
TEEcn the war began. in August,
1914, all those ncutrals who wished 10
understand the right and wrong OF
the matter. that ,hc,: opinions might
not be unjust. began to seek every
source OF information which might help
item 10 .:irn who started II and why.
Al hrSt-as the sources o: infor:nati ion
were noJ immediately at haud-there
seemed room for argument. though on
the face OF things il was apparent
that Austria first declared war upon
Serbia. aud Germany then declared wal
l II
plainly that Serbia had been begging
ana suuirmiME to avoid war AMI that
Russi: had been workin.; for peace.
Austria and ,ierm@ny were the COIN
tries that declared war and of course,
| until somebody din actually declare
var or actually make VA there was
a chance of peace.
As soon as The diplomatic documents
we're published we all ssw-auy per-
cor VINO colld read was able to sec
that Austria had been bent upon war
with Serbia and that Germany had
wanted Austria TO make such a war.
and, Under :. rather careless pretcxt of
wi:hing to preserve the peace, hal
actually prevented pcaccmaking on the
part OF other governments. 1t was
clear. too. tina: Russia had been bound
to protect Sc.'ba from Austria. and
that Germany understood This and
knew that Austr:as attack On Setbia
meant war between Austria and Rus-
STA. which also meant. of course, var
between Germany and Russia and he
."acn Germany and France, since the
latter Was Hu&sia'2 ally
Nothing could lave been more a;r-
nicant Than this. that Germany. be-
ing herself already prepar.d-down to
| the last buckle-for immediate war de-
clared war OH Russia for the ALLEGED
reason that Russia was getting nre-
pared for wal. We know this sort
Of talk OF old in Il thousand trials for
cold -b!ooded murder in our own coun-
try. self defense" shouts the MUIR
Gerrr'S attorney. The deceased made
t motion toward l!s hip pocket" Ger
many stood with bright new auto
| matte revolver il: hand. and Russia
made u motion toward the hip pocl.e ct
where there was later found PEN
knife with two blades broken Self
defense" Germany claimed loudly
through her attorneys. He made a
motion toward his hip pocket: so I
had TO shoot him"
The German Chancellor declared in
the ReichstaS that Russia made this
fatal motion toward the hip pocket in
| spite Of Englands effort to keep peace.
Russia began it," said the Chancellor
and then few days later all Ger
many began shouting that England
began it, This was when England
fulfilled her oath to Belgium, and Ger
many broke her own.
TURNED PEACEFUL BELGIUM
INTO SLAUGHTER HOUSE
The evidence went moro and more
against Germany. and there were some
vicious SdelightS which made the case
stronger against her. The German
army was sent into the peaceful little
country OF Belgium. which it turned
into a slaughter house, with the owners
for victims. and the German govern
ment said that the German army did
this because it would help Germany TO
Conquer France. At the same time the
Germans in authority told a great
, number of lies to excuse themselves
hnt