New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-05
Britain Demands
Eye for an Eye;
Reprisals Sure
SHUTS Commits Govern
ment to Policy of
Retaliation
People for Vengeance
Reluctantly Forced to Bomb
ing Cities, Asserts South
African General

LONDON, Oct. 4.-Speaking with the
authority of member Of the War Cab
met Lieutenant General SHUTS, Tor
mer commander of the forces in Ger
man East Africa. in an address to-day
TO the presidents of the chambers OF
commerce of the United Kingdom said
the government had been reluctantly
forced by recent air raids " Londoh
and other English cities to Apply the
maxim Of "An eye for an eye ana
tooth for a tooth" and carry out an
mir offensive on an unprecedented scaie
against German cities.
This announcement, which had Deeh
awaited with great anxiety by the
whole nation, is believed to mark ne"
turning point in the war, as, FAR from
ACCOMPLISHING their purpose to terror
ize the civilian population by the intro
duction Of their latest cruelties, the
Germans have only strengthened the
determination of the British people u
20 on with the war to certain victory.
In making his announcement General
SHUTS declared that the people OF Lon
don after the recent raids are thinking
4 less OF peace than ever Deloie'
"Ap Eye for an Eye
"Applying the principle Of AN eve
for an eve and a tooth for tooth
General SHUTS said, I'VE are most re
luctantly forced TO apply to the enemy
the bombing policy which he mas ap-
piled to US"
Continuing. General SHUTS said:
Last month our naval and military
airplanes dropped 2o7 tons OF bombs
/ behind the lines of the enemy. In the
same period he dropped four and one
half tons of bombs on London. In that
month we bombed him on tWenty-thrse
davs and on nineteen nights, chiefly
attacking his airdromes, and as tre
figures show. damaging his machines
and pitting his airdromes with sheli
holes. We also bombed his bllIets'
/ trains, transports and railway Stations
causing him the heaviest losses.
at is wrong to think that we hitherto
have had no means Of carrying our
aerial warfare into the enemy eoun-
try" he said. 81 already have said that
ever since the Battle Of the Somme we
have had clear military superiority IN
the air. and on small scale we could
have followed that up by bombing
enemy centres as the enemy bombed
| LONDON and other places in this eouh-
try. But we felt that we should pre-
mare for an air offensive on large
/! scale. and we were also anxious 10
| avoid adding further horrors to war
already the most cruel in the history OF
the world.
Forced to Follow Suit
"Allow me to emphasize two point.
which | hope will be borne in mind
when it is ultimately found that nv
words are not bluff, but serious and
| farreaching In their import. Firstly:
We did not begin this business OF
bombing industrial and populous dis
tricts. The enemy began the practice,
| Just as he began the use of poison gas
and other contraventions OF lnterna-
tional law. And we have been most
reluctantly forced to follow suit aftar
a long delay, which severely tried the
patience of the British public.
Secondly, | look upon these deyel-
opments of the arts of war as Utterly
bad and immoral, and. while | do net
/ fear them if, as in the present case,
they are forced on US, yet | should in
= fnitely prefer that both sides should
desert such cruel practices. We shall:
do our best to avoid German abomlna-
tions. and in our air offensive agairSs
military and industrial centres Of the
enemy we shall use every endeayor 10
snare, as far as is humanity possible,
the innocent and defencefess, who IN
the past enjoyed the protection OIL ID
ternational law"
Continuing, he said:
"But il is inevitable that in any ex-
tended aerial offensive into enemy ter
ritory into which we have been forced
they should to some extent also suffer,
and | can only express my deepest re-
greet that these developments should
have been forced on US. This war has
already been cruel and horrible beyond
any known in the history of mankind,
and its SORROWS and anxieties are slow
7 ly breaking the heart of humanity.
Blame Rests on Enemy
! at is almost unbearable TO think that
another chapter Of horrors must be
added to the awful story, but We can
only plead that il has not been our
doing, and the blame must rest on an
enemy who apparently recognizes no
laws, human or divine, who knows no
pity of restraint, who sang lie Deums
over the sinking Of the Lusitanis and
to whom the manning and slaughter OF
women and children appear legitimate
means of warfare.
"ln the face Of such denominations
il is not for US meekly TO fold our
hands. We can only night to the utter
most for the ideals Of more human
| civilization. which we trust and feel
convinced will triumph in the end"
General SHUTS declared that what
/ ever had been the danger Of tie sub
marine, it had ceased to be decisive
| factor Take that from me as bed
rock fact" he added.
Reviewing the air attacks or Lon.
don and other English towns and
4 cities, General SHUTS said way had
/ been found TO put the Zeppelins out
Of business and that the same fate
would befal the airplanes. He said
! the public might rest assured that the
: government would leave nothing un-
/ done to meet this menace,
! After reiterating a statement that
b the Gegmans already are beaten and
Z that their rulers know il, General
/ Shuts said:
Defeated and retiring everywhere,
the enemy has singled out one OPP
porent for his offensive blow. Ger
| many Is doing her best to strike down
Russia. Great as have been the Ger
man blunders in the past, | am not
sure that this is not her greatest and
most fatal blunder Of all.
Colossal Mistakes
"The invasion of Belgium and the
submarine campaign were the colossal
mistakes which cost Germany this war,
and her striking down of Russia At
this juncture may do more, and may
even cnmnrnmisn her disiant future