SHIFTING THE BURDEN.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16406, 28 December 1918, Page 10

SHIFTING THE BURDEN.

ATTEMPTS IN GERMANY.

- LONDON, December 7. The abject attempt of the former German Emperor* the former Prince, Rupprecht of Bavaria, Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg, and other prominent war-makers of Germany, to" prove their innocence, and to attribute the present ruin of Germany to the action of everyone or anyone but themselves is noted with contempt by English papers.

The "Daily Mail" says:—"Unfortunately for the former Crown Prince, his reputation for yeracity does not stand very high.' It is even lower than that of his father, who broke his solemn pledge to respect the neutrality of Belgium." The "Daily Telegraph" says:—"The former Crown Prince s story is one which the historian will regard with justifiable scepticism. German is probably not particularly proud of its former ruler and his son at the present moment.

"Their combined influence was the immediate cause of the present chaos, and they can find nothing .better to> do than" try to shift all the blame and responsibility from their own guilty shoulders at the cost of the perversion of all well-established facts."

Tho , "Morning Post," in an ironic comment on the Crown Prince's inter•view, said:—"The vrown Prince has been shriving his soul to an American interviewer, and his confesion ought really to humble us all when wo think how we slandered this brave and honest patriot, the one man among the German ruling class who seems to have perceived the ghastly wickedness of this war."

The "Westminster Gazette" says: — "The Crown Prince represents himself as an opponent of submarine warfare, the bombing of open towns, and all the inhumanities of which the Germans were guilty, though looting does not appear in the catalogue. There is one profound truth in what he says. The war was lost as far as Germany was concerned at the first battle of the Marne."