The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, August 01, 1917, Page 14, Image 14

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    Y
The Cdmmotier
14
V
VOL.' 17, NO. 8
w
4
I
Ml
Statements of Belligerents at Be
ginning of War's Fourth Year
A London cablegram of July 29,
says: Confidence that Russia once
more will bo brought into effective
co-operation with the entente allies,
and that America will in good time
give "material aid of overwhelming
power Which will put an end to all
doubts as to the completeness of vic
tory by fho allies," was expressed to
day by Sir Edward H. Carson, min
ister without portfolio, in a state
ment to tho Associated press, in be
half of tho British war cabinet of
which ho Is a momber. His state
ment follows:
"During tho third year of the war
which has Just endedj. two events of
outstanding importance occurred
which must have decisive influence
on the last phase of the war and on
tho peace that is to follow. These
are the revolution in Russia, and the
entrance of tho United States into
tho war in alliance with tho" entente
powers. Tne immediate eueci oi me
Russian revolution, from a military
point of view, gives cause for great
anxiety and has, up to the present,
proved disastrous. But it mustbo
borne in mind that the government
of the late Russian emperor was
hatching positive treachery to the
alliance and would have caused much
greater disaster to us by concluding
separate peace with Germany.
"The revolution, even from a mil
itary point of view, has been far"
better than tho regime which it dis
placed and, from a political and so
cial point of view, wo In England
recommend it without reserve. We
are confident that the inevitable dis
turbance which accompanies every
revolution when the seat of existing
authority is overturned will settle
into legislational order based on free
dempcratlc institutions and will
bring the great country into line in
effective co-operation with her allied
in striking at tho common enemy of
all. The Russian revolution, more
over, has drawn a clear-cut line be
tween tho contending nations, rang
ing them. as defenders of democracy
on one side, and as its assailants on
the other.
"The momentous decision of the
United States that no alternative re
mained to her but to take up arms
agaihst Germany is one of the great
est events in the history of the world.
Previous to taking it, she had proved
by a long course of patient states
manship, idealism in the conduct of
affairs. Tho utterances of President
Wilson, have vindicated tho morcrl
basis of the alliance against Ger
many and wo have full confidence
that America's moral support will, in
good time, bo backed by material aid
of overwhelming power which will
make an end of all doubts as to the
completeness of the victory attain
able by the allies.
"Wo feel sure that the American
people realize as clearly as we do
ourselves that no peace can be last
ing which is not the fruit of a com
plete and unquestionable military
victory. The new German chancellor
has shown that neither the German
government nor the German people
is prepared for any such peace. They
still hope to make civilization and.
democracy surrender to the black
flag.
"It would be foolish to deny that
the submarine menace is an exceed
ingly grave one; but it will be de
feated as every other German ex
pedient has- been defeated in the
three years of war we now have
passed through. We enter on the
fourth year in a spirit of confident,
determination to see this thing
through until we have attained tho
aims we proclaimed at the beginning
which could not be better summar
ized than in President Wilson's
phraso to 'make the world safe for
democracy.'
(Signed) "EDWARD CARSON."
large number of newspaper men and
to them declared:
"The speech of David Lloyd
George, tho British premier, Queen's
hall, London, and .the recent debate
in the British house of commons
again have pioved with indisputable
clearness, that Great Britain does
not desire peace by agreement and
understanding, and only a conclusion
of the war which means the enslave
ment of Germany to the arbitrary
will not be able to deny all this and
It will be obliged to confess that M
Briand Was the object of stormy at
tacks during the secret session; that
Premier Ribot was obliged to pro
duce the secret treaty in response to
the demand of M. Ronaudel (leader
of the majority socialists in the
French chamber) and also that M.
Briand in the course of the excited
djobate which ensued, declared that
revolutionary -Russia was obliged to
violent of our enemies. Proof of "carry out what imperial Russia had
promised and that it did not matter
to France what was said by the low
est classes in Russia.
"It is characteristic that Deputy
Moutet, according to his own state
ment, replied in Russia to the ques
tion Alsace-Lorraine was the only
obstacle to peace by saying he could
not answer the question in that form
and that Russia ought to take into
consideration' the fact that the Rus
sian revolution has been purchased
by French blood. The admission of
Deputies Cochine and Moutet of what
the Russian representatives had de
clared in the course of the negotia
tions, throws clear light on Russian
sentiment. The" delegates from tho
Russian armies also are in agreement
with this.
"Regardless of this manifest proof
of the revulsion of the Russian peo
ple against a policy of aggrandize
ment, Premier Ribot refused in the
secret session of the French chamber
to undertake any revision of the
French war aims, and announced the
this may be seen in the fact that Sir
Edward Carson (member of. the
British war cabinet) declared in
Dublin that negotiations with Ger
many could begin only after the re
tirement of Ge?man troops beyond
the Rhine. In response to a ques
tion put by Commoner Joseph King,
the spokesman of the British govern
ment modified this declaration by fix
ing the standpoint of the British gov
ernment as being that if Germany
wanted peace, she first of all must
declare herself willing -to evacuate
the occupied territories.
"We possess nlear proofs that the
enemy gives assent to a declaration
going even further than that impu
dently made by Sir Edward Carson.
You all know that detailed informa
tion regarding the French plans of1
conquest, approved by Great Britain
and Russia, has been circulated for
weeks past in the neutral camps, and
it has not been denied up to the pres
ent. It would be of the greatest Im
portance for theLenlightenment of the
whole wond regarding the true rea- fact that Italy also had received
sons for the continuation of the san- guarantees of creat territorial ac-
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MINISTER PAINLEVE'S SUMMARY
A Paris cablegram of July 29 says:
Militarism, the great enemy of prog
ress, has been mortally wounded by
war itself. This summarizes the
progress of tho last three years, ac
cording to Paul Painleve, the min
ister of war, In reviewing the war to
date. Minister Paiuleve's summary
follows:
"Three years of war at first con
jures up mourning and demonstra
tions, however, we dare to say that
humanity has progressed during
these three years. The great enemy
of all progress, militarism, actually
has been wounded mortally by war
itself. The ideal of the nation's
peace expresses itself very persist
ently against the brutality of nations
of conquest. Despite the vissitudes,
this ideal will triumph. While the
curve of German forces has sunk, the
strength of the allies has risen, and
tho entrance of the united States
into the war has given it a sudden
and formidable impetus Germany's
fate is determined.
"Henceforth, France, particularly
can show with elation its balance of
the last three years. Bleeding, still
mvaaea, Bhe is not only greater and
more glorious, but she is stronger
militarily and politically than on Au
gust 2, 1914. If, Germany, stripped
of hegemony, ruined in its commerce
and reducer;, to an alliance with sev
eral groups of adventurers, today
compares useir to France, it will
show what three years of war have
cost it,"
GERMAN CHANCELLOR'S STATE
MENT A cablegram bearing a Berlin date
of July 29, via Copenhagen, says:
Dr. Michaelis, the German imperial
chancellor, on Saturday summoned a
guinary massacre of nations for it to
be known that written proofs of our
enemies' greed for conquest have
since fallen into our hands I refer
to repbrts of the secret' debate on
June 2 in French chamber of depu
ties. Puts Question to France
"I ask the French government this
question: Doe3 it deny that ex-Premier
Briand and Premier Ribot in
the course of that secret sitting at
which were present Deputies Moutet
and Cochin who had just returned
from Petrograd, were forced to ad
mit that France, shortly before the
Russian revolution, had come to an
agreement having in view vain plans
of conquest with a government which
Lloyd-George described in his last
speech as a 'corrupt and narrow au
tocracy?'
"I ask if it is true that the French
ambassador at Petrograd in answer
to a request rent by him to Paris to
sign a treaty preparer in advance by
M. Doumerque (ex-premier and for
eign minister) after negotiations with
the Russian emperor?
"Is it true or not that the French
president at the instance of General
Berthelot, head of the French mil
itary mission to Rumania,' entrusted
him with a mandate and that M.
Briand afterward sanctioned this
step?
"This treaty assured to Franco her
frontiers, but amended on lines of
previous wars the conquest of 1870
to include besides Alsace-Lorraine,
Saar Bruecke and vast territorial
modifications on the left bank of the
RhlAe. As desired by France wiuan
M. Tereschenko (the Russian for
eign minister) took office, the Rus
sian government protested against
tho French aims of conquest, which
also Included that of Syria, and de
clared that new Russia no longer
would be willing to take part in the
struggle since it learned of these
French war aims.
Obliged to Confess
"Wasn't it the object of Albert
Thomas (premier of the French war
council), on his journey to Russia,
to overcome this remorse of M. Ter
eschenko T, The French government
grandizement. In. order to divest
their ambitions on the left bank of
the Rhine of a character of greed
and conquest, he-resorted to a law
yer's trick by arguing the necessity
of creating a uffer state, but the op
postion speakers cried out in the din
of contradictions: 'It is disgraceful.'
Drev on Russian Blood
"I would also like to mention that
Premier Ribot, after a pacifist speech
by Deputy Aumagneur, replied that
the Russian generals had declared
that the Russian armies never were
in better condition1 better equipped
than then. Here appears in perfect
clearness the desire to let the Russian
people go on shedding their blood in
behalf of the unjust ambitions of
France. This desire has oeen iui
filled, but not as Premier Ribot an
ticipated, for we can hardly presume
he had at heart such an absolute
lack of humanity as that. Though
foreseeing th. failure of the Russian
offensive, he yet insisted upon it,
thinking it would give another hour s
respite pending the entry of America
into the war.
'The enemy pess endeavors to
force upon my inaugural speech the
interpretation that I only consented
to the majority resolution with an
ill-concealed reservation of Germany s
desire for conquest. I am obliged to
deny the imputation as to an object
of which there can be no doubt. Be
sides, the resolution implies wuicu
is quite clear that the enemy must
renounce any idea3 of conquest.
Dr. Michaelis added that it was
rv.oTi4rflof flint- Germany's enemies
were not in the least considering
such denunciation,, and that cue
French meeting held in secret was
fresh proof that her enemies mere
responsible for the Prolongation or
the war, and were "actuated by lust
of conquest." "The conspicuousness
of justice of our defensive war, tuo
chancellor concluded, "will steel our
strength and determination in tne iu
ture."
PEACE AT GERMAN TERMS
A cablegram from Vienna, via
r t.- ., Safari .Tulv 2U, say
&Sm3s ttZt Austria-Hungarr
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