Mohave County miner., 1917-01-06

BERLIN, Jan. B. (Wireless to Sayville)-The German impression of the ententes' reply to the peace pro- posals of the central powers was re- ferred today in a statement made to the semi-oficial Overseas News Agency by Dr. .Hamman. This com ment was not based on the official text of the entente's note, as thus far only the version supplied by the Havas News Agency from Paris has been re- ceived here.
 Dr. Hamman said consideration by Germany and her allies of a peace of fer dated back as far as October. At that time the intention was enter tained of making an honest and sin cere attempt to prevent further use less bloodshed.
 Martyrdom of Belgium
 Being asked as to the general im- pression created by the entente reply, he said:
 ''If I am to express an opinion in a few words, it is this: Instead of talk ing place around a peace table, the en- tente's deliberations took place in a judges chair. Apparently the entente forgot nothing that could possibly in 1uence neutrals against us.'
 "The point of the accusation, how ever, to which the largest space is allotted in the entente note is in the martryrdom of Belgium. But if one desires to pass judgment on the mar tyrdom of Belgium one must speak beforehand regarding neutral and loy- al Belgium and this Belgium had ceased to exist long before the war. In this connection I wish to single out one point which, up to now, has not been sufficiently considered-the re- port made by Baron Greindl, Belgian minister at Berlin, dated December 23, 1911.
 Quotes Baron Greindl
 "This clear-sighted statesman then explained forcibly that already at that time the entente was inspired by noth- ing but the one thought of encircling Germany from the north. As proof of this, Baron Greindl quoted the outcry started in Paris and London a short time before, when the Dutch plan of fortifying Flushing had become known. Baron Greindl then said:
 "The reason why they wished that the Scheldt remain without defense was not concealed. In this they ad- mitted their purpose to be able to transport an English garrison to Ant werp without hindrance, thus creating in Belgium base for operations in the direction of the lower Rhine and Westphalia.
 Baron Greindl reported the plan was then changed in such a manner that the English auxiliary army was not to be landed on the Belgian coast but in the adjoining French ports. This same plan of an English landing in order to threaten Germany was equal ly hinted at as imminent by Lord Rob erts during the last Moroccan crisis. In such circumstances it most certain ly would have been an easy thing for Belgium, after the German question in 1914 (whether Belgium would permit the passage of German troops) to take her armies back to Antwerp and then let the Germans, under protest, march through the country"
 Secret Treaties
 "How little such action would have violated the spirit of existing condi- tions may be understood if one re- calls the secret clauses of the treaties of 1881. In them, certain agreements from former times were maintained which reserved, as well to England as to Germany, the right to occupy a | Belgian fortress. In 1887 a great | English newspaper-if I am not mis- | taken it was the Standard, still de- clared the employment on the part of | Germany of the right of way through | Belgium could not be taken as vio- lation of Belgian neutrality"
 At this point the interviewer said:
 'In addition to this the question of 1 the principle of nationality plays a large part in the answer of the en- tente. What importance must be at tributed to this principle in the pres ent situation ?"
 In his reply Director Hamman em- phasized every word.
 ''No nation" he said, 'is better able to understand this principle than Ger many, for no great civilized nation has suffered so much, has been forced to struggle so greatly, because of being