Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-02
KAISER MADE WAR
GERMAN C0NFESSES
Reformed Editor Claims He, Too,
Was Misled by Hun Lying
and Deceit.

narkahe editorial entitled An open ION
fession, the Germania Herold, prompted
hv the revelations recently made pubic
through the publication of the diary OF
Prince Lichnowsky, Imperial German am
bsssador to the Court of St James in the
DAYS Immediately preceding the opening
OF hostilities. announces that II had been
misled by the German governments
official statements into believing that
England's commercial jealousy forced
Germany into the war.
In announcing It's change IN opinion,
the Germania Herold exonerates tIreat
Britain from responsibility for the war on
statements made by Prince Lichnowsky
and corroborated by the admissions oil
Won .Iagow and other German statesmen
and makes the assertion that the crime OF
starting the war must rest upon the landed
and industrial iunkers of Germany.
BLAME FOR THE BLoopsHED.
The editorial is as follows:
III 10 our duty to make 1T. We, too,
were among those who laid the blame for
the world war at the doors OF English
statesmen We. too, have time and again
repeatesi the assertion to our readers that
these English statesmen, Jealous OF Ger
many's success in the world markets, at
tempted to 'cncircle' It. We too. have re-
pcatedlv stated that Germany Is entitled
to a place in the sun. We did so IN good
faith For We then believed what the
organs Of the German government pro
claimed and We believed at tho beginning
OF the war and years thereafter. what most
of the other German papers repeated.
we were then fully convinced that the
program Of English statesmen consisted
of nothing less than TO stop Germany
commercial and colonial expansion. With
us one-haN of the world of the W eStern
Hemisphere was convinced through the
r,rcss az GERMANY We believed IN the
nress Of the old fatherland, which preach
cd hatred against England everywhere,
following its governmental press, where
the German voice was sounded. As a
paragon of diplomatic haSeneSS. Slr Ed
ward GREY. the dictator Of foreign affairs
for Great Britain. appeared 10 US. Now
We and with us the rest OF the world, which
then creduously listened, are convinced OF
the opposite We know now that the
British statesmen and with them the
statesmen of the Allies did not only have
no warlike measures against Germany IN
mind. but to the last minute underworld
10 their utmost to avoid the war. The
blame for the bloodshed hes with the
German government
LlCHNOWShN FNFpSEr 1T.
.Politiken. the organ OF the Swedish
Socialists Of the extreme left, on March Is
published the historical document by
which his guilt is established. Ii was SO
called memorandum by Prince Carl Max
Won Lichnowskv. who before and at the
time OF the commencement Of the war was
the ambassador for the German Empire IN
London. The memorandum was written
- ~ ms 4
publication ct this time was not intended
hv the Prince, but upon his instance
number OF copies thereof were made. One
of these copies came into the hands OF a
member OF the SociallstIC minority party OF
the German ReichstaC The memorandum
hears the heading: My London Mission
1912 TO 1914, and Is dated at huchelna
(Iachnowskys summer residence, IN
August. Ioi6. The genuIneness OF the
memorandum Is doubted by no one
Prince Llchnowsky himself has by his
silence admitted IT, the German govern
uent likewise by its action IN keeping the
Prince a prisoner IN his castle IN Sllesla
since the date Of the publication OF the
memorandum, and as appears from late
cable dispatches, has now brought the
charge OF high treason against the Prince.
PRINCIPAL FACrs GROUPED.
Iichnowssy compiled the principal
facts as to who caused the war III the three
following paragraphs;
81. We land by this we the Prince
means the German government encour-
seed Count Berchtold 10 attack Siberia,
although no German interests were at
stake and the danger Of q world war was
known TO US Whether We knew the text of
the ultimatum Is entirely lnconsequential.
- In the DAYS between the 23d and
3Oth OF July, 1914, when Herr Sasonow
expressly declared that Russia would per
nit no attack upon Serbia We rejected the
British intermediary offers, although
Serbia under Russian and British pressure
was about to accept the entire ultima tum.
ana although an agreement Ii regard 10
the two controverted points could easily
have been arrived al and Count Berch-
told himself was satisfied 10 be content
with the answer by Serbia
3. On July 80, when Count Berch-
told wanted 10 give way. We without
Austria having been attacked. replied To
Russla's mere mobilization By sending an
ultimatum to Petersburg and july 81 We
declared war on the Russians. although
the Gar had pledged his word as long AZ
negotiations continued not man should
march-so that We deliberately DESTROYED
the possibility Of peaceful settlement.
nLITARIsM Is sUPREMK
"In view Of these indisputable facts.
II Is not surprising that the whole civilized
world outside Germany attributes TO US
the sole guilt for the world war. Is it not
intelhcible that our enemies declare that
they will not rest until system is de-
stroved which constitutes d permanent
threatening of our neighbors? Must they
not otherwise fear that Ia a lew years they
will again have 10 take up arms and again
see their provinces overrun and their
towns and villages destroyed We're these
people not right who prophesled that the
spirit Of Treitschke and Bernardo dominat-
ed the German people-the spirit which
giorIfies war as an aim IN itself and does
not abhor it as an evil; that among us it is
still the feudal knights and JuTlkers. and
the case Of warriors who rule and fix our
ideals and our values, not the civilian
gentlemen; that the love Of dueling. which
inspires our youths al theu Universities.
lives on in those who guide the fortunes Of
the people? Had not the events at Zabers
and the parliamentary debates on that
case shown foreign countries how civil
rights and freedom are valued among us
when questions Of military power are on
The other side?
Militarsm. really a school for tbs.
nation and an instrument Of policy makes
policy into the instrument Of military
power if the patriarchal absoutsm Of d
soldier kingdom renders possible an atti-