The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1919-05-15
THE GERMAN CONFESSION.
New York Times)

The first sign that Germany
realized in any degree her guilt in
beginning the war of the world
was given by Count Won Brock
dorff- Rantzau before the peace
conference. 1t is not a full con-
fession, but it goes further than
any official German pronounce
ment ever went before. He de-
clines to admit thai Germany is
the only country responsible for
the war, and that omission leaves
the world still unsatisfied. But
the omission is not SO offensive as
it seems, since the responsibility
which he places upon other
peoples seems to be only for their
general course before the war
the imperialism of all the Euro
pean states" during a period of
so years. He does not charge
that any state but Germany pro-
voked this particular war. He may
have made a mental reservation,
for he passed that point over; but
il remains true that for the
events beginning with the Pots
dam conference of July, 5, 1914,
he blames no enemy state. On
the other hand, he does specifical-
accept for Germany the blame Of
those events. He says:
''The attitude Of the former
German government at The
Hague peace conference, it's &C
tons and omissions in the tragic
II days Of July, have certainly
contributed to the disaster"
1t is only the kaiser's govern
ment that he blames, however.
He Theoretically denies" the
solitary guilt Of Germany and
it's people, who were convinced
that they were making a war of
defense" There was a time when
some people outside Germany pre-
tended to believe that; but it is
no longer credible any where.
The guilt of the imperial govern
ment was shared by the German
people, who were as whole-heart-
eddy in favor of conquest as were
their rulers; they went into a
delirium of enthusiasm over
every new addition to the terri
tory of the German empire
mirage annexations soon to fade
away like the unsubstantial fab
ric of a dream. He repeats, too,
the old chatter Of the kaiser "a
bout Russian mobilization having
taken the question out of the
hands of statesmen and put it in
the hands of military powers. The
correspondence between those
statesmen is before the world,
and we all know what the Ger
man and Austrian statesmen were
doing with the question before
ever it was put "in the hands OF
Tie MILITARY pOWtTS.
Speaking Of the crimes commit
ted after the war began, he says:
Here, also, we are ready to con-
TESS wrong that. may have been
done, and he repeats Won Beth
manufactures declaration at
the BEGINNING of the war that
the invasion of Belgium was a
wrong. He charges, however,
that Germany was not alone in
crime, and instances specifically
the contiAuance Of the blockade
after the armistice.
1t has been said that Germany
does not admit that she was beat
en-. Brockdorff- Rantzau admits it.
I'VE are under no illusion as to
the extent of our defeat and the
degree of our want of power"
And he uses the expression "after
our adversaries had conquered
and victory had been assured
them"
Brockdorff- Rantzau speaks for
Germany. He is plenipotentiary
not a courier" If his confess
ion is grudging and twists the
facts to some extent, if there is
some adroit special pleading in
it, nevertheless it is encouraging
to admit at least part Of her
guilt.