The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-28

| JOINT treaty guaranteeing belSldh Ao"
, trality. ~ i
Second-Britain wants Germany to
respect the freedom of the seas-to
quit piracy. She also wants Germany
! to stop the building of great fleet,
the DECLARED POLICY OF WHICH
) is THE DISRUPTION OF THE BRi-
TISH EMPIRE. Years before the
war, Britain proposed to Germany that
both powers quit throwing their
money away on dreadnaughts and con-
fine their navy building within the
bounds of common sense. GERMANY
REF FUSED EVERY TIME.
Britain wants Germany to adopt ar
bitration instead of war as the means
Of settling International disputes. She
proposed this to Germany at the
Hague and elsewhere many times be-
fore the war, AND GERMANY AL
WAYS REFUSED.
Britain wants Germany to respect
private property and merchant ships
at sea, both in war and peace. she
proposed these measures BUT GER
MANY REF'USE
$50, much for the record. Now 1or
the future. Britain certainly wants
no commercial privileges from Ger
1fany. as she was carelessly permit
ting German merchants to trade In
and. exploit both England and her CO.
lonial empire before the war, while
Germany refused to let England trade
with German colonies.
-. She had the right at any time to
follow Germany's own course and give
her own merchants and manufacturers
preferential tariffs. She never exer-
cised this right, BUT GERMANY
DID,
$50 much for the German gibberish
about Rritain's jealousy OF German
trade. 1t is we'll to note that during
the war Britain has sacrificed at least
a third of her trade to Japan and to
neutrals in order to supply her allies
with shipping. Instead of grabbing
trade" Britain has been losing it
throughout the war.
AS to colonies, now that she mas
taken them, England may not turn
the German colonies back to Germany
just out of goodness of heart, but all
of them together are not worth the
price of one months war
NO question about Germanys fever
ridden, flea.bitten African colonies Is
going to stand in the way of peace.
OF course it will be loss to human
ity if Germany's colonies are returned
to her; for her military caste has con-
verified them, into hell holes for the
unfortunate black and brown men
who live in them, and no white man
not even a German, can be persuad-
ed to emigrate to them, while they
are under German rule.
There is another thing Britain prob
| ably wants-the end of Turkish MUIR
der and pillage in Armenia, Syria and
Mesopotamia Certainly Britain is not
willing for the tender German to sue.
coed the lovely Turk as the owner of
this valuable real estate-but Britain
has never before nor since the war
laid any claim to them herself
If the world powers can set up a
system of self-government or govern
ment by an international commission
in these harried countries, there will
be no opposition in London.
What England wants out of the war
is exactly what America wants-the
victory of democracy and a peace
based on justice-a peace which will
endure as long as self.governing men
are capable Of reasoning and govern
ing themselves by the principles of
justice and the teachings of Christian
ity.
The best answer to all the chatter
about Great Britain today is found in
the Australian, Canadian, New Zea-
land and South African armies fight.
ing in France for democracy.
The circle of free commonwealth,
self-governed and happy, girdlng the
globe and bound to. Britain by moth
ing but the sentiment of common
origin and fair treatment, is the best
answer to What does England
want"