Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-09
Balfour Tells of Three.
Great Democracies to
Crush World Menace
British Foreign Secretary in Senate Chamber Is
Given Enthusiastic Reception Senators
Cheer Him Following Address

Washington, May S.-Foreign Secretary
Balfour declared in an epochal address
In the Senate chamber today that the war
conference here had cemented an alliance
of three great democracies destined to
crush the greatest world menace Of all
time and to save civilization and liberty.
Though severe trials still must be faced,
he said, free peoples now have been
aroused and fired with determination
insuring the ultimate Triumph Of free in
situations.
The submarine question presents grave
situation just now, Mr. Balfour said, but
more than one difficulty of like magnitude
has been overcome
The war could not be won, he predicted,
by killing helpless woman and children o.
by unwarranted attacks upon neutrals.
1T is to be settled by hard lighting, the
British statesman said.
Failure to comprehend that the two
great English-speaking peoples would and
could fight for an ideal he characterized
as the great blunder which would cost
Germany the war.
In his visit to the Senate chamber Mr..
Balfour was accompanied by Lieut.. Gen.
Bridges and Admiral De Chair of the
British mission. and they were given d
reception rivalling in enthusiasm that &C
corded them Saturday in the House. Vice
President Marshall presented the foreign
the Magma Charter" an instrument of
liberty without which neither America
nor Europe would be or have hope OF
being
At the end of Mr. Balfours speech the
senators rose to their feet and cheered.
BaIfcur's Address
Mr.. Balfour said:
you, Mr.. President, have in grace
! full and pregnant sentences brought to
our recollection the common origin of
those liberties. which, whether I'm
France, in Britain or in the United
States of America, we all rejoice in
and are all determined to defend.
You have also in warm words well
coined and spoken kindly of the. mis-
sion of which I have the honor to be
the head and to which you are now
paying the rare, the very rare, honor
of welcoming within your walls.
"On their behalf not less than my
own, I most sincerely thank you for
your welcome. l know we'll that it is
not a welcome to individuals. The
kindness individually which each one
of us has as individuals received since
we came to this great city will never
be forgotten by any one of u.s."
"It is only of the German ruling
class that I speak today. They saw
that England and America were pros
porous, were unwarlike, were i'm
mersed in the arts Of peace and in
volved in the industrial interests incl
dent to peaceful civilization, and
they drew from that two conclusions
They drew from it in the first place
the conclusion that because we were
commercial we were therefor materi-
al: that we were incapable of high
ideals or great sacrifices and that even
If we determined late in the day to
pursue those high ideals and to make
those great sacrifices we should be SO
utterly incompetent in the arts to
which they had devoted SO much of
their attention that our interference
! in the war would be a thing which
they could leave wholly on one side.
On that miscalculation have been
wrecked and will be wrecked all their