Te Aroha And Ohinemuri News Published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Afternoons. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1917 “LEST WE FORGET”

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5481, 30 April 1917, Page 2

Te Aroha And Ohinemuri News Published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Afternoons. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1917 “LEST WE FORGET”

Tub German Ministry of Finance, advertising a loan as answer to America’s entry into the war, declared the other day that “ England was the damnable cause of and was criminally prolonging the war.” This characteristic Prussian lie is, it is true, becoming staled with much repetition. But it is, nevertheless, well, “ lest we forget,' that we should remind ourselves from time to time of the various steps that led up to the war. The mere statement of these steps, as contained in the British White Book, and as confirmed, not only by the corresponding French, Russian, and Italian official records, but also by what is contained in and by the very significant omissions from the similar books issued by Austria and Germany, proves most conclusively that, not England, but Germany herself was responsible for the war.

If further proof be wanted of the sincere desire of the Entente Powers for peace, it is to be found in the fact that Sir Edward Grey consistently refused to pledge Britain to support Prance and Russia in the event of war breaking out. He gave them not the slightest encouragement. He went, in fact, almost perilously near to straining to the breaking point their faith in Great Britain andfiheir forbearance towards her. Russia, for her part, mobilised only in reply to

the mobilisation of Austria and Germany, and the Czar, in a personal letter to the Kaiser, pledged his word that “so long as the negotiations with Austria regarding Serbia continue, my troops will not undertake any provocative action.” France put the matter beyond all doubt by actually withdrawing her troops five mileß from the frontiers threatened by the German mobilisation; while Germany, on the other hand, pushed her troops up and beyond the French and .Russian frontiers.

As Dr. E. 3. Dillon, the talented and experienced correspondent of the London “ Daily Telegraph,” well declares in his “ Scrap of Paper,” which gives the inner history of Germany and her scheme of world-wide conquest : “ These eloquent facts supply the [most complete answer to the questions who wanted and who began the war ?” It is perfectly true that the Kaiser had no wish to fight Russia, France, and England all together. His aim was to fight and conquer them one by cne, and in the order named. He ferveutly desired to “ localise ” the war.

He wished, indeed, to confine it in the first place to Austria and Serbia. Then, when Austria had dealt with Serbia, his object was to form a new Balkan League to aid him in his designs on Russia. And, Russia disposed of—for the Central Powers held that she had by no moans recovered from the effects of the RussoJapanese War, and that she would fall an easy prey—the Germanic Powers were to fall on France, strike her to the dust, seize the Channel ports, and then, by means of a huge invading army and the High Seas Fleet, wrest the Trident from Britain’s nerveless grasp. It was a gieat scheme. But, fortunately for the Allies, fortunately for the rights and liberties of the world at large, the Kaiser’s vaulting ambition overleapt itself; the Germau diplomats bungled nutters, bungled them very badly, and the Entente Powers, instead of being beaten, are standing solidly shoulder to shoulder. Italy, Roumania, aud the United States havo joined them, aud Germany now fights desperately with her back to the wall, hopeless defeat staring her in the face. Hence her wild aud futile protestations of innocence. Hence her no less frenzied accusatiens against Groat Britain and her Allies.