OUR WAR AIMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 September 1917, Page 5

OUR WAR AIMS

WHAT GERMANY MUST DO.

SPEECH BY MR ASQTJITH

LONDON, Sept. 27Mr Asquith reiterated that we did not aim at the annihilation or degradation of the German people. It was true that the manner in which the war »was engineered, and still more the brutal cruelty and refined inventive wickedness by which it was carvied on, must long affect the world's.estimates of the German character.

"Nothing has caused more consternation in the world than German opinions and applause in favour of the barbarous transgressions of its Government. It shows from what unmeasured perils, from what a set-back to civilisation, mankind had been delivered now that the Allies have for ever shattered the dreams of German hegemony and Prussian militarism, which was our objective.

"We have no other wish for German Democracy . than that after shaking off this soul-des-troying iw'ubus it should learn ,x \p lessons and enjoy fully the blessing of.freedom- Our first aim isjnot restoration of, the world to a status quo ante helium but the establishment of an international system under which the nations, great and small, shall be ensured of a stable foundation for i'lfleoeinlent "development. I fr.ssume, as a matter of course, the enemy evacuation of the occupied territories of Trance and RussiaT have alreacfv referred to Alsace and Belgium-""