Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-10

and equipment, both within and be-
yond her borders a. revealed on the
outbreak Of the war-all had agrees
sion and not defense in view. The
military doctrine that Germany
could only be defended by springing
hrst upon her neighbors was the ex-
cuse for demanding . military or
ganisation and . strategic plan which.
when time came. would enable them
to smash all resistance to the ground
and leave Germany undisputed master
both In the east and west.
1T IL not the purpose Of this MEM
orandum to traverse the diplomatic
history Of the years preceding the
war or show how It was that the
peace-loving nations Of western
Europe were gradually driven. under
series Of crises provoked from Ber-
lin. to come together in self-defense.
Autocratic Germany, under inspira-
ton of her rulers. was bent on DOM
ination. The nations Of Europe were
determined to preserve their liberty.
1t was the fear Of the rulers Of Ger
many lest their plans for universal
domination should be brought to
nausht by the rising tide Of democ-
racy that drove them to endeavor
to overcome all resistance At one
stroke by p1unging Europe in . uni
versal war;"
Powerful words Of indictment these
are for william Of Hohenzollern to
answer. and one wonders what HIS
reply will be in defense Of his Ma
chiAvellian doctrine that Z war
which IL necessary 10 also just"
In reading some Of the documents
which brought from Germany find
on the first page Of the War Chron-
icle, an official monthly propaganda
magazine published by the former
German government in August, 1914,
this paragraph:
THE name by which this war will
become known to history IL already
recognised. 1t can only be called the
German var. and the position Of
Germany as 4 nation h It's object"
In another issue there To q speech
BY Dr.. Won Bethmann Hollweg, the
fotner chancellor, in which he IL
quoted as saying:
" The world must know that no one
sha III harm q hair Of Q German head
with impunity."
1t was in the refchstag he was
speaking. THE exterior responsible
ity must be Laid in the hands Of the
men of Russia, who ordered and car
ried out the general mobilization Of
the entire Russian army; the interior
responsibility, however. lies in the
hands Of the government Of Great
Britain. (ively applause.)
The Belgian neutrality. which Eng
land pretended to protect, In q sham."
(Renewed lively ADpiause.)
The former imperial chancellor 10
quoted at this point because he is
not only the most unpopular man in
Germany, but the man upon whose
shoulders German statesmen, from
the kaiser to Zimmerman, are pre-
pairing to place the responsibility,
shifting II from the ex-emperor and
all others. Did not the German men,
orandum itself, which was presented
at Versailles. attempt to place all
blame upon Won Bethmann Heltwes?
The real mistakes ct German poa-
icy LAY much further back" reads the
German reply. The German cAaneel.
lor. who was In once In 1914, had
taken over . political Inheritance
which either condemned al hopeless
from the start his unreserved1y hon
est attempt to relieve the tension OF
the International situation or else de-
manded therefor degree of states
mAnshiD and, above all. q strength
OF decision which, on the one hand,
he did not sufficiently possess and. ON
the other, he could not make elective
in the then existing conditions Of
German policy"
or all German statesmen now living
who served Germany prior to and dur
ing the war. no one man Possesses
more information and evidence about
the kaiser than his former chancellor.
What should be more natural, then,
than for Won Bethmann Hollweg to
come forward and ask the president
Of the peace conference to try him in
stead Of the ex-emperor? This is the
cleverest and most important move
in the defense Of the former monarch.
BY placing all the blame on the for