Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-13
Circulation Every 1ANnc
Evening Yesterday l4CU5
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10. 1918
"A Scrnp Of Paper

During the great iubilatiops of Mon
day. people IN many cities. especially in
Wilmington. expended their jubistic
spirit in tearing newspapers and any
thing else in the paper hDe they could
seize upon into pieces and throwing the
scraps into the streets ParsderS INDUCED
IN the pastimc, and so did people IN
stores. Offices and houses the latter throw
ing them from windows In our city the
streets were soon Uttered. and in Phil
adelphia the accumulatlonS in some places
were foot deep, through which pcdcs-
trians plowcd as though through snow
storm
Many persons wondered why the Jn-
bllation had melted Tins procedure
and probably thousands here and else
where do not know 10 this hour But
while II resulted in litterng the >frccts in
most ,r>ightly manner i had / direct
md very important ~iguhcanc.
This ~howcrng II scraps II paper II
al directions Was 4 rcfcrcr,c Il what
happened on that fateful ,lay II tie
summer Of 1914. when the German Pnmc
Minister and Sit Edward GREY we're hay
ing private conference over the prob
ability Of England taking i part IL the
war should Germany attack France hy
way OF Belgium The German Minister
knew well that to invade Belgium would
be violation OF solemn treaty hut that
made no difference 10 HIM or - hI>
country Then il was he who asked Sir
Edward Grey, in effect, if Great Britain
would go 10 war for "a scrap Of paper
That heartlcss remark. 50 significant
Of an entire and contemptuouS disregard
OF solemn treaty obligation, proved t. hc
Of the greatest sentimental value III tho
war that followed. Il aroused Indignation
among the people Of III countries ii
character and honor Il melted :n lu-
tense feeling against the German Empire
and its leaders Il impelled England to
take part in the contest and send her Ill
first feeble forces 10 the aid of France
1t had a powerful effect upon public
sentiment n the nitcd states. and !
with othc- things was instrumental i'll /
bringing us into the war
No honorable nation VIII permit itself /
TO be deliberately drawn into violation OF f
4 solemn treaty obligation with another /
country No statesman oi honor Will .
ndorsc such :; base suggestion Nations
enter into treaties with each other foI
the purpose Of regulating diplomatic, {
business and commercial intercourse, and
TO arrange for the safety OF their respective
citizens, In person or property, when So
journing in the country of any Of the other
Each country Is expected to
observe all the supulations of the treaty,
fully, fairly and honorably
To have treaties regarded as mere
scraps of paper would lead TO con
fusion in all diplomatic relations be-
tween countries, to bad feeling, and gen
orally to dissensions and war. They are
a ''gentleman's s agreement" not 8 mere
and are entered INTO, as a
rule, in good faith, with the firm purpose
to respect them.
But to Germany the Belgium Treaty
was of no account, simply because it stood
IN her wild war way and was an opposition
% her purpose OF destroying the rest Of
Europe and in time assuming world DOM
nation. It's brutal violation was sacri-
ice Of honor for base purpose But Ger
many cared nothing and took the fatal
'tep
And nov we see what It has brought
Ter 10.