WAR GUILT

Southland Times, Issue 19986, 28 September 1926, Page 7

WAR GUILT

GERMANY’S SHARE ATTITUDE OF FRANCE EXPLAINED ELOQUENT SPEECH BY M, POINCARE. (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Rec. 7.40 pjn.) Paris, September 27. France’s attitude towards Germany’s claim that the latter was acquitted of responsibility for the war when she was admitted to the League of Nations was defined by M. Poincare when addressing disabled soldiers at Versailles. He said, “When the Central Empires brought the cataclysm you did not dream of rendering every individual in the German Empire responsible for it, nor did you attribute to every enemy officer or soldier the barbarities committed in our invaded villages. Nevertheless, you cannot forget that war was declared upon us and waged upon our territory and across the violated soil of a neutral State. You also remember it was carried out under the orders of the Imperial Staff with pitiless cruelty. My friends, if the Germany of to-day were openly to disavow such acts of the Germany of yesterday, how much easier it would be for us to hold out our hands towards our assailants.”—A. and N.Z.