The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-06-26
Cermany's Confession

ing innocence and braZenly denying
guilt for nearly four years, Germany
has admitted her crime against civil
lization.
She has done II through her for
,ner ambassador in England, Prince
| lLthnowsky. He has been corrobo-
lrsted by former director of the
gieat Krupp gun factory, q Dr. Muh--
bn. And the truth of their testi-
Ilony has been substantially admit
led by the man who was Germany's
Ebreign minister when Prince Lich-
npwsky was German ambassador in
Lpndon-namely, Herr Won Jagow.
The documents in the case have
baen obtained by the State Depart
nhnt at Washington and translated.
they are complete and convincing.
After setting forth all the damn
ing evidence against Germany, Prince
LHhnowsky sums it up:
~ First We encouraged Count
Bf@chtold, the Austrian foreign min
istsr, to attack Serbia, although no
GeHman interest was involved and
this danger of 4 world war must have
beBn known to us. Whether or not
We knew the text of the Austrian ul-
tinaatum to Serbia makes no differ
e4ace whatever.
1"Second. We rejected Great Brit
aims plan of mediation in the days
between the 2Srd and 30th of July,
1914. We did this after Mr.. Sasa-
moi. the Russian foreign minister.
laT enphatically declared he could
not Tolerate an attack on Serbia; af-
fer Serbia, upon pressure from Rus
sia and England, had accepted near
ly fhe whole of the ultimatum, all
butltwo points. in themselves not
hard to adjust; and even after Count
Berfhtold, the Austrian foreign min
lister, was ready to be satisfied with
the Serbian answer.
Third On the 30th of July, with
Count Berchtold willing TO listen to
reason, before Austria was touched,
on the mere mobilization of Russia,
we sent our uItimatum to Russia and
on the 31st of July we declared war
on Russia, although the Gar had
pledged his word that as long as ne
gotiations were going on not one
man would be sent on the march.
We thus deliberately destroyed every
chance of a peaceful settlement.
1T is no wonder that in the pres
ence of these indisputabIe facts the
whole civilized world outside of Ger
many lays the entire blame for the
world war at our door. Is is not ma
tural that our foes declare they will
not lest until they have destroyed a
- szink-- k--ia-n--zaarnetu uaI n1enace
to its neighbors? Must they not
otherwise fear that in a few years
they will again be compelled to take
up arms and see their provinces ov-
errun, their cities and villages laid
waste?"
Dr. Muhlon, of the board of
Krupp's directors, does not make a
summing up. He merely gives evi-
dence that in the middle of July,
1914, he had a business conversa-
ton with a director of the Deutsche
Bank in Berlin, who advised him that
the bank would not assist Krupps in
certain large transactions in Bull
garia and Turkey" because the polit-
ical situation had become very men
acing" and the Deutsche Bank would
have to wait before entering into
any further engagements abroad" "
This director OF the Deutsche Bank
was Dr. Helflerich, since vice china
cellor Of Germany. He explained: ::
the Kaiser In weeks time Wen
ma will send very severe ultimatum
to Serbia, with a very short interval
for an answer. A whole series of
definite satisfactions will be deman-
ded at once; otherwise Austria-Hun-
gary will declare war on Serbia"
This is the ultimatum about which
the German authorities have insisted
they were not consulted.
DR.. Muhlon continues: CDR. Helf-
ferich added that the Kaiser had ex-
pressed his decided approval of this
procedure on the part of Austria
Hungary. He had said that he re-
garded a conflict with Serbia as an
internal affair between these two
countries, in which he would permit
no other State to interfere. If Rus
sia modified, he would mobilize al
so. But in his case mobilization
meant immediate war"
This uncanny communication, -
DR.. Muhlon says, converted my fears
of world war, which were already
strong, into absolute certainty" He
consulted with Herr Krupp Won Bob
len himself, in Berlin. And krupp
confirmed the news. He said that
the Kaiser had told him (Krupp) that
he would declare war Immediately
if Russia mobilized, and that this
time people would see that he did
not turn about. The Kaiser's re-
peated insistence that this time no
body would be able to accuse him of
indecision had, he said. been almost