FOR PEACE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 766, 15 March 1910, Page 5

FOR PEACE.

SPEECH BY PRINCE HENRY OF PRUSSIA. BRITAIN AND GERMANY. AN HONOURABLE FRIENDSHIP. By Telegraph—Press AsKoclation—Oopyrlebt (Rec. March 14, 9.35 p.m.) Berlin, March 14. Prince Henry, of. Prussia, speaking al the East Asiatic Society's banquet a 1 Hamburg,' said ho left Britain after hi; recent visit with a grateful heart. Hos pitality, affection, and frankness wen the foundations whereon the life of theii English cousins rested. His visit to Bri tain bad been absolutely unofficial, but hi had spoken to many influential people and he assured' his hearers that Britaii offered Germany an honourable and sin cere friendship.. The idea of aggressivi action was completely absent from . tlu minds of those in Government circles ii Britain, but. that state of affairs restet upon reciprocity, 2tnd nothing must bi omitted that would "serve to strengthei it. Confidence would beget confidence Germans fought shoulder to shoulder witl the British in the Far East, and learnet to respcct them. The interests of botl nations would best be promoted by re ciprocal confidence. The officers of thi Navy were sincere in their friendly feel ings, but the 'merchants, like the;military and naval officers, must also bo comrades They had a 6ocial duty to discharge. GerMan naval policy. DEFENCE' OF SEA INTERESTS./ (Eec. March 14, 10 p.m.) Berlin, March .14. The ,r Norddeutsche Zeitung," comment ing on Mr. MTienna's cordial reference to the declaration of Herr von Bethmani Hollweg (Imperial Chancellor), states tha as Britain considers only her own needs so the construction of the German flee was based solely on the view that defeno and shelter must be created for sea in .terests, that had grown of great import ance to Germany's existence as a State. [Baron von Bcthmann Hollweg recentl; stated that Germany's, relations with Bri tain were clear, above-board, and friendly "The whole world," he added, "know our shipbuilding programme. Nothing ha been done in secret, or in a fashion jus tifying.a suspicion of menace. Germany' policy is directed solely, to tho free es pansion of' her, economic and. socii forces."] ... "THE WORLD'S PEACEMAKER." A, TRIBUTE TO KING EDWARD. London; March 13. Mr. C. W. Fairbanks, ex-Vice-Presidon of the United States, who is on toui states that he is delighted, with' a rccen audience given him by King Edward. H described the King as the World's Peace maker. I : "A CRIME WITHOUT EXCUSE" AMERICA AND JAPAN. . . . Tokio, March 13. Baron Komura, Japanese Minister fo Foreign Affairs, in a message to th "New York World," says he is convince there is nothing in tho relations betwee; Japan and America. that need cause roc uneasiness.' Their Far 'Eastern interest are not inconsistent or antagonistic. Wa is-inconceivable; it would be a crim witho'ut excuse or palliation."""My coi viction," he adds, "finds. ample suppor in the understanding reached in 19081" 'The' "New York Herald," co rum en tin on Mr.' Setoff's explanation that he di not mean war, but a struggle for com mercial opportunities in.China, "says: "I: any case the speech was singularly ill timed,- when all - the nations were* ct operating to solidify peace. Japan's oi fence is apparently .not so much coi , spiring to. keep China in vassalago as i: 'herself failing to remain in vassalage t tho money-lenders. [Mr. Jacob Schiff, speaking at the Ne' York Republican Club, said: "Thero i an understanding, that Russia, Japan, an Great Britain; will eonstituto during th next * few decades the world's greates menace. I was greatly mortified to lear: that Japan had joined hands with Rut sia to keep China in a state of 'flissalagt 'Perfidious Albion' is party to that con pact."] A POLICY OF PEACE, TIMOR'OUS HALLUCINATIONS. The , German ■ Ambassador, his Excel lency Count Wolff-Metternich, presided a a banquet given in London, in lionou: of the German Emperor's birthday, ani in the course ofa speech said:—"Thero ar. people who assert that we aro only await ing the opportunity to fall upon an; weaker Power. To such hallucinations'o timorous souls 1 it is not easy to reply The mind that can conceive them is no open to reasonable arguments. Our con science, howevor," is clear. If our develop ment impels us to.move out into the widworld and across the seas ("Our futurlies on the sea," according to the well known saying of our Emperor) in orde; to secure .the freest possible expansioi of the vecbnomic power of our nation this, is simply, the outcome of on: national aspirations and necessities. The' threaten nono. We have not, however yet reached an age when the mutual con fidonce of nations in one another is sucl as to render the protection of their in terests unnecessary. Within our frontier and on land our army, which has pre served the peace to us for forty years will afford- us protection,, but for thi safeguard of our steadily growing in terests on the sea and in distant region: wo require a fleet. .We are, therefore building a fleet, and. in this we are fbl lowing, the example of all great commer oial nations possessing a coast line. Mor< especially are wo following the. example of Imperial Britain, the greatest se; Power in .the world. "We do not wish to rule tho seas, bui we desiro to occupy- a position command ing respect commensurate with our com mercial and' Colonial interests. Bui neither our fleet nor our army threaten: anyone so long as we aro not threateuec ourselves, and since.we have no intentioi , of competing for supremacy on the sea it. is reasonable to supposo that w< seek to become involved in a naval quarrel, whilst we know that we are much stronger on land? In making these, remarks I have tried to make clear certair tendencies of our policy and national aspirations, .and at the same time our do sire to servo the cause of peace. This-is also the great desire of his Majesty the Emperor, as the peaceful years of his long .rule to testify."