GERMAN CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 28 September 1918, Page 4

GERMAN CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH.

The task of the German Chancellor i* steadily becoming more difficult,' for he has to put the best side of his country's ruinous position before his nation, and at the same time avoid making statements that might weaken the people's

trust in Prussiani&rn. Count Hertling, less arrogant than his predecessors in office, but not more truthful, has delivered one of the weakest and most pitiful speeches of the last four■years, and it is little- wonder that the German papers have ..given hia remarks a cold reception. His reference to the "deep discontent prevalent in wide circles of the population;s 'is a notable admission and indicates that the enemy is not united in his war efforts. Before the Chancellor would refer to tihe. spirit of the people, lie would he convinced that, there was more than a little weakening of the. country's -.moral generally! If Germany is discontented, what, must* be! the condition of her allies., especially Purkey and fSulgaria, who are being so severely handled by the Allies? Count Eekling's effort to raise the people's spirits is very weak indeed, and is likey to do as much good .&s if "he had visited a man lying at death's door and jold him that he was hot.so bad as on some previous occasion. The Chancellor has no stimulant with which to revive his dying nation,, and weakly he endeavors to justify Germany's decision to invade, Belgium in''-'19141 He. cannot whole-rheartedly praise the operations of, the submarines, - for 'his people know that they have failed ;to stop the transport of "the Americans;and to reduos Britain to starvatioin: But the most remarkable part of; the speech is the Chancellor's pitiful effort to defend the Germain invasion of Belgium. The argument he offers may. be summed up in a sentence: "If Germany had net taken the route through, Belgium the enefrhy would." Tharefore, Germany thinks that if her enemy is, in her opinion, going to commit a wrongful act she ia justified in. forestalling him by taking that jcouree herself. Germany 'can put forward iio argument to prove that she "had any reason for thanking Fraaw© would violate. Belgian neutrality, for ' Germany stands alone in; Europe in violating sacred treaties. It has on previous occasions been of material benefit to her to treat treaties as "scraps of paper,'.' and Count Hertling would have made a better showing hiad he admitted, as Herr yon Bethmann Hollweg did, that Germany invaded / Belgium because of "military necessity." Instead, he ohose to make an unfair attack upon King Edward, Who by his personal efforts brought France and Britain to a closer understanding and, naturally, incurred the hatred of Germany, whq.was keen to prevent France and Britain from living in the spirit of the entente cordiale; The Allies have no fear of \the judgment of posterity upon Germany's act. Ijouvain, the deportations, tke'^unnumbered murders, bear silent, yetl^mble, fitness against Uliq .' 'kultured'' sian. lie judgment of. posterity would be upon the- shoulders of tie present generation. of Allied peoples if they did not continue the war until the evil system that devised such horrors were stamped out. In combatirigithe forces of evil there can be no moderation, and where it is found tEhat the crimes have been planned by a Government or a p>rty the reason for complete victory becomes greater. Ne^eir can the world have dealings with Prussianism, for" it is in its essence evil, ever seeking to bring under its military power those whom it thinks it can enslave. Yon Payer's remarks upon the Brest Litovsk treaty giv c a glimpse of what Prussianism means. "Germany, intended.'? he said, 'that Poland .and o'th^r former Russian States must not be completely independent, but incline towards Germany in Germany's interest." And he might have added that Germany's dessare. is that similar action should be taW in Belgium, Serbia, Eoumania, Montenegro, and Northern Italy. The inoEnation towards Germany in Germany's interest is easily understood. Germany wants not only to bind the occupied territories in commercial chains^ but to have an unseen, though none the less effective, part in the government of the territories. Her method would b e to make laws which would not be acceptable to the people of these States, and would not encourage them bo remain in their native districts. The gradual emigration of the inhabitants srould be followed bya German influx similar to that which has occurred in Alsace-Lorraine. The German nation in peace time is nothing else than the army in mufti, and though its methods are not outwardly antagonistic they are just as effective n advancing Germany's plans for vorld-doHrination. Count Hertling has ihown himself weak and at a loss to present a good case i>o t/he world, and we may well assume tha* his attitude is that of the whole military caste who, unwilling to admit that they have failed, are determined to maintain their iron grip over the iGerman nation until the people themselves rise in their anger and win their freedom.