The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-07

educated man was an expert up to
certain point on naval questions.
In the course of the negotiations
Haldane proved himself admirably
well informed and a skillful, tenacious
debater, and his brilliant qualities as
lawyer came to the fore. The con-
yersation lasted several hours, and
brought about a general clarifying,
as well as preliminary agreement as
to postponement of time limits of
ship construction, etc The details
concerning it are deposited in docu-
ments at the Imperial Naval Office.
Tirpitz was splendid
After some more conferences-at
which, likewise, Balm was present
/ Haldane returned to England. Balm
i informed me that Haldane had eX-
pressed himself to him as entirely sat
Isfled with the outcome of his mission,
and had stated that in about week or
two the first draft of the agreement
could be sent to US.
! Time passed-the date set for the
| introduction of the naval bill ap-
preached. Tirpitz suggested, in case
+ the agreement were concluded pre-
viously, that the naval bill be altered
/ accordingly; otherwise, that it be in
troduced without alter alton
Suspects English Purposes
At last we received. not the draft of
/ the agreement, but a document ask
/ ing all sorts of questions and expires.
sing desire for all sorts of data, a
reply to which required many con-
situations and much reflection Little
by little the suspicion grew in me that
the English were not in earnest with
regard to the agreement, since
question followed question and details
were sought which had nothing direct
ly to do with the agreement. England
withdrew more and more from her
promises, and no draft of the agree
ment came to hand
In Berlin a big agitation set in
against the naval bill. Tirpitz ard my.
self on the part of the foreign office
and from other quarters, both qualified
and unqualified The Chancellor also
who hoped to achieve the agreement
and affix his name to a document
which would free Germany from zen.
circlement' and bring her into a regu,
lar and better relationship with Eng
land, came out in favor of dropping
the naval bill. But that would simply
have meant allowing a foreign power
enormous influence in matters OF
German national defense and leopard
izing thereby the national right OF
Eself-determination and our readiness
for battle in case of war being forced
upon us. Had we allowed this il
would have amounted to our consent
ing to permit England, Germany's prin
cipal foe, to grant US whatever she
wished after consulting her own in
terests, without receiving ourselves
the guarantee of any equivalent con
cession.
In this confused state of affairs diff
ferences of opinion and violent dis
putes arose, which, especially in those
circles which really knew little about
the navy, were conducted with much
violence and not always in a practi
cal manner. Admiral Won Tirpitz, al
through that winter which was Sc
hard a one for him and me, fought his
fight like a genuine, patriotic officer
realizing the situation and seeing
through his opponents with clear Wis
ion and supporting me with complete
conviction to the limit of his ability
i All the government officials agreed
that no foreign country could be al
lowed any voice in helping decide
= what we had or had not to do toward
insuring our protection.
|, The hope of bringing about the
: agreement grew ever fainter, England
continually showed lessening interes
and kept eliminating important part!
| of her original verbal note. And 81
it came about that Admiral Won Tir
: pitt and | realized that the whole pro
posal was merely a ''manoeuvre"
The fight over the German Nava
bill grew steadily hotter. l happened
. at this time to meet at Cuxhaven. DR.
: Won Burchard President of the Ham
burg Senate, whom l respected great
: ly, as he was the very model of al
: aristocratic citizen of a Hanseatic city
: and who had often been consulted b,
: me in political matters. I described
to him the entire course of the affai
! and the disputes in Berlin as to thu
: introduction or non-introduction of thu
bill, and asked him then to tell me
: with his usual complete frankness
! what he thought the right thing to d,
: in the interest of the national welfare
: since l greatly desired to hear an oh
: jective opinion, uninfluenced by tn
| rival camps of Berlin.
, DR.. Buchard replied in his clear keel
J pointed, convincing manner that it wa
my duty toward the people and tn
!. Fatherland to stick to the bill; tina
| whosOever spoke against its introduC
r ton was committing a sin agains
! them that whatever we thought nee
} essary to our defense must be uncor
ditionally brought into being; thai
above all else, we must never permi
+ a foreign country to have the presumI
, ton to interfere with us; that the Eng
: lish offer was feint to make us dro
I the naval bill; that this must, in n
3 circumstances, be allowed; that tn
t German nation would not understan
1 why its right of self-determination ha
r been sacrificed; that the bill must III
r questionably be introduced; that h
: would work in its favor in the Fec
i, eral Council (as indeed he did in
I brilliant, compelling speech) and ais
otherwise press its acceptance in Bel
: lin; that the English would NATURAL
t resort to abuse, but that this mad
= no difference, since they had been DE-
0 ing so for long time; that they cel
: tainly would not get into war 70
s such a cause; that Admiral Won Til
s pitt was merely doing his duty an
= fulfilling his obligations, and that
/ should support him in every way; tha
a the Chancellor must give up opposin
e the measure, otherwise he would ru
d the risk Of finally FORGETTING publ
/ esteem on account of ching 4'pro-Ens