GERMANY'S APPEAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15737, 12 October 1914, Page 9

GERMANY'S APPEAL.

CHANCELLOR'S STATEMENT. PLEA OF NECESSITY. American papers publish appeals by the German Chancellor (Herr von BethmannHollweg), in which he asks for an impartial judgment concerning the war. Thus the appeal runs :— " The war is a. life and death struggle between Germany and the Muscovite races of Russia, and was dae to the recent loyal murder at Serajevo"We warned Russia against kindling this world war. She demanded the humiliation of Austria, and while the German Emperor continued his work in the cause of peace and the Tsar was telegraphing words of friendship to him Russia was preparing for war against Germany. '.' Highly civilised France, bound by her unnatural alliance with Russia, was compelled to prepare by strength of arms for an attack on its flank on the Franco-Bel-gian frontier in case we proceeded against the French frontier works. England, bound to France by obligations disowned long ago, stood in the way of a German attack on the northern coast of France. " Necessity forced us to violate, the neutrality of Belgium, but we had promised emphatically to compensate that country for all damage inflicted. " Now England avails herself of the long-awaited opportunity to commence war for the destruction of commercially prosperous Germany. We enter into that war with our trust in God. Our eternal race has nsen in the fight for libertv, as it did in 1813"It is with a heavy heart that we see England ranged among our opponents. " Notwithstanding the blood relationship and close relationship in spiritual and cultural work between the two countries, England has placed herself on the side of Russia, whose instability and whose barbaric insolence have helped this war, the origin of which was murder, and the purpose of which was the humiliation and suppression of the German race by Russian pan-Slavism. " We expect that the sense of justice of tin- American people will enable them to comprehend our situation. We invite their opinio!) as to the one-sided English representations, and ask them to examine our point of view in an unprejudiced way. " The sympathy of the American nation will then lie with German culture and civilisation. fighting against a halfAsiatic and slightly cultured barbarism." Generally the American press does not agree with the German Chancellor. The Independent, the well-known New York weekly, in replying to the appeal on August 24, said :— ''Russia did not begin the war. It was begun by Germany's ally Austria against a small Slav nation. Pervia. It is inelidible that it had not Germany's con- j sent. 'We warned Russia.' said the Chancellor, 'against kindliflg this world's' war.' But it was not Russia that kindled it, hut Austria. Doubtless Germany did vara Russia not to help Servia. but, to let little Servia be gobbled up. That is, Germany stood behind Austria in the grab. Russia stepped in to defend her feeble sister; alio Austria knew, and Germany knew, and all the world knew that it was to be expected. And so the great war began, not Russia's war, but that of Austria, iind her backer who had made it. possible previously to absorb Bosnia. " '/'ho Chancellor says that the purpose of Russia was 'the humiliation and suppression of the German race by Russian pan-Slavism.' There is no evidence that Russia desired any such thing, and the world does not believe it. . . . "Then the Chancellor charges that i Britain 'avails herself of the long-awaited 'opportunity to commence war for the destruction of commercially prosperous Germany.' This is an absurd obsession. England bad taken no step to limit German commerce. At her ports and in her colonies she has made no tariff discrimination against German imports. Goods ' made in Germany ' bad free competition with goods made at Home. There was absolutely fair dealings with German commerce, and it was Germany only that raised a restrictive tariff. "In this war it is impossible to give the approval asked for to our good and powerful friend, Germany. We regret that she is in the wrong, and are profoundly sorry that she has brought on herself the condemnation of the woild"