New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-24
British Leaders to Reply
to Wilson in Parliament
Government to Make No Direct Answer but Oaoine' WI"
Express Views in the Commons-Pacify Mexico
'irst Suggests Northclfe

filled, and his roseate vision wiil isoe
into oblivion. Reparation and restitu-
ton TO France. Russia, Belgium, Serols =
and Montenegro are possible only u
Germany acknowledges defeat Csn
President Wilson really believe the
Union could have been maintained III y
victory had been denied the Federai
armies ?"
Has Stated Britain's Ideal
Professor Gilbert Murray, reg'us
professor Of Greek at Oxford uhiNei
I'm essentials il is our ideal he has
stated. Our general aims, Lard down
nv Premier Asauith, Foreign secretary
Grey and Mr. Balfour, are IN essent,a,
accord with the statement OF fresioene
Wilson. The apparent divergenees
can easily be reconciled or disappear on
closer examination.
eve consider victory necessary ou.
neither the people nor the goVernhs"tt
of Great Britain have ever demshoeu
or desired 10 impose peace by victory
in tho sense which the President depre-
Gates. Our aim is a victory OF interns-
tional rights and the defeat oil m'i''
''I porcv Alden. member Of Parliament
and president Of the Mayhower olup'
said: -, Ina
ave cannot help admiring the tone
and temper Of the Presidents speech
even though We may not agree WIN ms
position. cannot conceive that tne
President. il a born Belgian, would
consent 10 anything less than such
victory as would discredit the frusslan
military regime. without this inc tut
urc seems hopeless.
Hopes to Avert Slaughter
"My own view of this important
speech is that II results from con
viction on his part that the war may
and probably will, end in stalemate'
and that he desires with all his heart
10 staye off the slaughter Of a spring
offensive. The only conceivable hope OF
achieving his purpose is to give to inc
world. if he has them, the German
peace terms.
Csrlyon W. Bellairs, Unionist Mem
her of the House Of Commons and one
of the Commons's leading authorizes
on naval affairs. was asked regarding
President Wilson's words relative u
the freedom of the seas. He said:
These are serious words. They arc
asking England 10 make the greatest
sacrifice i'm the realm Of possibility,
and she could not do il without the
most absolute guarantees. The only
posible Interpretation of these words
means taking from England the one
weapon which enabled her to become
what she is and remain so IN the 1ace
of enemies -,
With hint of bitterness in his
voice. he added: 81 am convinced that
IL we had used our naval weapon as
Lincoln used it-when within seven
DAYS of the outbreak of the war he de-
clared blockade of the enemy coasts
and began the process OF starvation
we would have finished the war year
ago.
Used Mines Too Late
1--WE were too slow in the use OF
mines. Mines are the trenches Of the
sea, and the belligerent who first gets
his mine fields placed in strategic po-
sitions has the same advantage as an
army in trenches, We might, for
example, have mined our way into
Helgoland Blight or the Baltic.
"How would the American Civil War
have been affected by the application
of the Wilson principle of freedom OF
the seas? Surely it would have meant
the right of everybody to trade with
the Confederacy, and what would
have been the RESULT"
Henry Hyndman, leader of Social
ism in England and chairman of the
Socialist party, said:
"As a Socialist. am opposed t.
war, but as an Englishman | feel that
my country is serving the cause Of
civilization when it helps to prevent
Prussian militarism overrunning Eu-
rope and crushing democracy. This
task is unfinished. Therefore, | be
lieve that some Of President Wilson's
ideas. while excellent, are impossible
of realization at the present time"