A SPEECH THAT CAUSED A CRISIS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 285, 21 August 1918, Page 7

A SPEECH THAT CAUSED A CRISIS

VON KUHLMANN'S INDISCRETION

NO MILITARY DECISION

POSSIBLE

Speaking in the Reichstag on June 25. Herr von Ivuhlmann, Secretary, of Foreign Affairs, after a general review of tlio foreign situation, and stating that tho Austrians had achieved noteworthy successes over tho Italians, said that one must ask. Would tho i-ar. according to human calculation, last, beyond tho autumn and winter, or beyond next year? (Sensation.) There was a common idea amongst the. public that thp length of tho war was something absolutely new, as if authoritative quarters had in their time nover reckoned on a .very long war. No Power could in one or two campaigns be so completely beateit that it would declare itself vanquished and bo compelled to conclude peaco on hard terms, and that it would not raiso itself up again to renew tho battle even if only after a year. That statement, he said, was .uttered by von Moltke in the Reichstag in 1890. Mr. Balfour's Speech. Herr von Kjihlmann continued: I must say that despite the brilliant successes of our arms there has been nowhere clearly recognisablo a desire loi 'peaco among our enemies or readiness tor peace in authoritative quarters. lie German Government has repeatedly lairl down its standpoint in declarations intended for the widest publicity. Ou enemies havo nothing to show that can in any degree compare with the "«n.an peace offers, with tho resolution of this House, or with tho reply to the Papal Note. ("Very true" .from the Centre and Left.) . . The declarations 'of our enemies, especially of English statesmen, who seized every opportunity ot working .or their views and ideas m Pyk, l ! 0 ', ''H 0 i as yet no peaceful, ray of light to i.ut on the darkness of this war drama. Soniß days ftgo Mr. Balfour deliveieu <1 speech to which I should like to devote some words, although it has thus far been available only in ■ telegraphic extract. In this speech the old legend s repeated that Germany this many should,attain world domination •I do not believe that any responsibio man in Germany (not to speak ofrtho ■Kaiser or the , Imperial Governmenl) even for a moment thought th.it they'could win world domination in Fufope by unchaining war. Iho iUea of world domination in Europe u P ian Napoleon's example .showed that. A nation which tried to achieve it wonlc |' as happened to Franco, bleed to death in useless ' battle and wonhl. be m*t grievously injured and A" relopment. ("Very true from the Centre nnd Left.) ■ Moltko's ' This war-one may nppb ■ •nhrase "Woo to him who sets huropo afire"—shows itself more and ] T as tho -York of foreign .countues, ot tfie conscicnceless Russian P°l ,c ?j if ear of the governing classes of the r(no tion which the insufferable coniuhoM C tho country brought nearer. I Mieu. ■one can say, without fear of being contradicted by tho result of further revelations knd investigations, that the wo penetrate into tlio antecedents of tho ■war the clearer it becomes that the fowei which planned ami desired the war way Russia, that Franco played tnc> uorst role as tho instigator of the .wai, that British policy has very dark pages to show in this respect, and that especially the attitude of tho British Government in the days before tho outbreak of war was bound to strengthen and unchain tlio Russian desiro for war. For that thcro are proofs enough in tho docu-iienw already published.. ; So much .as regards guilt for tho war. , Germany did not for a moment flunk that this war could lead to domination over Europe, not to speak of world domination. On tho contrary. German policy was then in the situation of having a good prospect of being alble satisfactorily to realise ita essential aims—the settlement of affairs in the Fast, and the settlement of colonial affaiirs by the way of peaceful negotiation. A Prerequisite Condition. I consider it necessary to say quito flimply • what our positive desires arc. [Hero came tho three senten:es quoted at the head of this tolegrani/l Those are, in a few 'brief, general, and comprehensive words, guate ioughly sketched, the aims the achievement of which is an absolute vital necessity for Germany. ("Very true," from the Left and Centre.) In a former dobito hero'l pointed out that the absolute integrity of the territory of tho German Empire and its allies formed the necessary prerequisite condition—l say -expressly prerequisite condition—for entering into any peaco discussion or peace negotiations whatever. I declared at the time that outside that all questions might be subject to discussion and agreement. I believo things are still 60 to-day. '.

From England the reproach is constantly made that we aro not prepared a roDI England to state our attitude publicly on the Belgian question. » i?' s P oln ' : fundamentally the views of the Imperial Government differ from those ascribed to us by English statesmen Wo regard Belgium as one of the questions m the entire complex. AVo must, However, decline to make, as it wero « I c ° n ? e ? sion by giving a statement on the Belgian question which would bind ("VeS'tn'o/V 110 IMSt tyinf: tha ° non,y ' Mr. Balfour, moreover, by way of nrecautiqn, has added that we m/st Vno •Be?»hn V "i 1 a " ree ment on the Fn"l££ f l ucs !i o n exhausts the stock of I or wishes. He has ft t a, .' sti »nod from describing those points m which he intends to ansires 00 Th™ far - re '™. hi,l Sr. cl "™ 3or dcUj V ho . su l'Posifcion is not uniustined by previous experiences that these words were, on the one hand, addressed Paris, and that, oil tin? other hand, covetous desires floated across' tho Mediterranean to the parts of Palestine and Jlesopotamia at present occupied' bv British troops T hear already the iustification which will bo duly given for such wishos-namely, that England could not possibly make such sacrifice of blood and treasure without preserving for itself a modest gain. As regards tho probable eourso of events, the Chancellor' nnd T havo previously declared that in tho present stage of development far-going advances on the road to peace aro hardly . any longer to be expected from the public statements which we shout to eaeli other from tho speaker's tribune. (Loud assent.) AVe can also quite adopt tho words. spoken on May 1C by' Mr. Asqriith, if we substitute "Imperial Government" for "British Government": The Imperial Government lias not shut tho door to a step in tho direction of an honourable pence. If a proposal is made to-us, from .whatever side it may come, if it is not couched in ambiguous terms, but reposes on firm foundations, then I am sure such a proposal to our Government will not fall on deaf ears. This should be clear. Wo can, for our part, make the same declaration, aware as we are that it fully and entirely covers 1 our policy.

Once the moment has come—when it will come. I should not care to prophesythat tho. nations which at present nre rattling entor an exchango of views, a necessary prior condition will especially ho that there should be a certain decree of mutual confidence in each other's probity and chivalry. So lpng as every overture is regarded by tho others as a peace offensive, as a trap, as something false • for the purpose of sowing dissension between allies, so long as every attempt tit rapprochement is immediatply most violently denounced !)y the enemies of. rapprochement in the various countries, so long is it impossible to see how any exchange of ideas can bo started leading to pence. Military Decision Impossible. .Without such an oxchaugo of ideas, in ,view of the enormous magnitude of this

coalition war, in view of tlio number of Powers, including those from overseas, involved in it, an absolute end can hardly be expected through purely military decisions alone without; any diplomatic negotiations. ("Very true" and "Hear, hear/', from' the Left.) Our position on tho battlefields, our enormous reserves in military resources, our situation and determination at home permit us to use such language. AA'o hope that our enemies perceive that against the resources at our disposal the idea of a victory Jor the Entente is a dream and illusion, and that, they will in duo course, as Mr. Asquitli expected from us, find a way to approach .us with peaco offers which correspond to the situation and satisfy German vital .needs. (Cheers.)

In the earlier part of his speech Herr von Kuhlsvmn said ho might describe Germany's policy as being that they did everything in their power to render impossible the entry of further neutral states into the ranks of their enemies.