The Press. Monday, July 1, 1918. The Moral Asset.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16252, 1 July 1918, Page 6

The Press. Monday, July 1, 1918. The Moral Asset.

' In the. leading article in the literary supplement of "The Times", of April 26th a well-known and oft-repeated fact," but one which is nevertheless of undiminished. and continuing importonce, is stated as follows: "Those blind " Prussians, when they made war, "raised a greater issue than they " knew. Being little men they went '" to war over a little issue, the mere ( "question of their strength and ours. '■ n gut that 1b not the question we are "all fighting about now." The Allies ; are fighting, to use Mr Wilson's' wordß, to make the world Bafe for democracy.

'This 'the Germans, unaccustomed to think of war as having, or capable of

' hating, any but the most sordidly material ends, refuse to believe. They r < affirm over and. brer again that the • 'Allies are fighting for entirely selfish

But it is significant that no ■ German apologist. whatever has been , bold enough, to suggest, that Germany on its part has any high purpose in

fighting. : The Germans Have, indeed, \ gone so far ak to Bay that they are . serving the irdrld, and especially the little nations,by fighting to make Ger- * many the dominant Power* in Europe; lint beyond that they have not dared •' to goJ Yet we may be sore that they * would cheerfully give a few army corps to be able to. £0 further. They are here the victimß of their own policy ; * •wherever they turn they are confront".ed by the dariining fact of Belgium. ' When they began the war, confident ■ that.it waß only a matter of armies,' ignorarit of the real issue "they were -raising, their -Government frankly r "admitted that the violation of Belgium * was a wrong. Often since then they have striven to get behind that confession. but they cannot do so, and the fact so confessed, with all its implications, is what will break them at ; the end. It is little wonder that Count Hertling is desirous of an. end of discussion concerning the origin of the war, and suggests that the point may be left to future historians to decide. Prince Lichnowsky's memorandum and Herr Mitotan's revelations have established the guilt of the German Government, and the evidence continues to grow. Herr von Miihlon, in aa article in the "Journal de Geneve/' •• has given some further testimony, this •time by way of reply to the German attempts to cast doubts on the genuine- * ness of Belgium's neutrality. I , "No Chancellor," he says, "has over J withdrawn the phrase uttered on August 4th, 1914; one has only been: - afraid to. repeat it too distinctly. So far as 1 am concerned, 1 have spoken . in Germany with many men in a position to know, and I have never rqefc one i who ever attempted in the slightest' way to allude to fault on the part of | Belgium. "Nevertheless, these accusations [of un-neutral conduct by Belgium] are * still daily renewed by countless Hirelings with the sole object of effacing the recollection of the Chancellor's

declaration and hardening German hearts -in regard to Belgium. The German people wishes to believe, in spite of Herr von Bethmann-Hollwe?, „ that Belgium deserved to bo invaded. Germany's guilt would not be lessened, it. need not lie said, by any subsequent discovery that Belgium had forfeited the rights guaranteed to her; - • the invasion was undertaken by Germany in th&.ioll belief (which is, of

course, still the belief of the German Government) that Belgium was entitled to strict immunity. But there is not a scrap of evidence against Belgium, and Heir Miihlon supplies some positive evidence of Belgium's unsuspecting innocence. Before thr> war, Belgium had ordered at Krupp's (of which Herr Miihlon was a director) four 28cm. guns for Antwerp. These- were ready and paid for at the beginning of 1914, but as the emplacements were not ready, the Belgian Government begged Krupp's to delay delivery. Krupp's reluctantly agreed to do so', and at the outbreak of war the German Government seized the guns. Again, shortly before the war, Belgium put herself completely in the hands of Krupp's for a now and barely-tried artillery munition. Belgium had long dealt with Krupp's rather than with French firms, and Ilerr .Miihlon always had the impression that Belgium hoped in this way to keep Germany in good humour. The strength' of tKe Allies, and their determination to endure, would perhaps have dangerously diminished, but for their consciousness j-.f their good faith and innocence of all responsibility for the carnage. It is jiot because it lias changed its views on war as a. policy that the German Government constantly seeks to persuade its poopio to forget the real facts, but because it knows that surely, if slowly, the realisation by that people of the original guilt of its rulers Trill break down their moral and leave them without that inward support which is greater than guns and armies.