Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY FEB. 3rd, 1909. BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 February 1909, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY FEB. 3rd, 1909. BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

One of ilu' most disconcerting features of liu- international situation, is ihp remarkable manner in which the slightest reference to Hie relations between Britain and Germany is inngnifieil into an 'incident' lending, locmifiriti the rumors thai war must come sooner or later, In the words of a manifesto issued by the German Peace Society, "war scares without end are the character of the present time. You can scarcely take up a newspaper without having to read about some threatened war." It is therefore a relief to turn to chances of a continuance of pence, to the interchange of friendly visits, and to the hope that exists of building up an enlightened body of public opinion thill shall make for the permanence of a peaceful foundation of international relations, There is no sound reason why Great Britain and Germany should not be upon similarly cordial terms with oarh other like Great Britain and Franco. On historical grounds the reasons are infinitely more in favor of a friendly agreement between Great Britain and France. Germany has been the ally of England on the'battlefield, and the reigning Houses are intimately related by ties of blood. On the other hand, France until quite recently has been the age-long rival of Great Britain. The two peoples for centuries viewed each other with an intense personal dislike, and in their rhymes and cartoons and Press rulers and individuals were held tip to odium and ridicule. Happily for the nations themselves as well as for our common humanity, they came to see the wickedness and absurdity of the representtitives of two great civilised countries hurling invectives and abominable charges at one another without a shred of evidence on which to rest. them. And what has been done on behalf of peace and reason and common sense so far as Great Britain and France are concerned, can, it. is argued by the sober men on either side, be effected with the like satisfactory results as between Great, Britain and Germany. Tn the course of an address to the workers of Germany, signed by forty-eight members of the House of Commons and over 3,000 officials of British trade unions and friendly .societies, the writers ask; ''What is there to prevent the workers of Germany and Great Britain from doing what France and Great Britain have none?'' The answer is that there is no infiupp.vnblo barrier to so desirable a flfiitsummalifln, jfifty years

ago, as Lord Morley lias reminded us in his 'Li£e of Cobden,' the English nation were arming against an expected invasion by France, andTthis popular exasperation of the one against the offlier was maintained, with rare intervals of sanity, at fever heat .until less than ten "years ago. Why, then, should Germany and England be everlastingly discussing the inevitability of war? As we have previously stated, there are no outstanding difficulties between the two countries. The whole trouble is caused through the amazing indiscretions of the Kaiser, whose speeches have caused Germany's intentions to be viewed in England with suspicion. If confidence could only be restored in the utterances of statesmen of both countries the way would soon be paved for the termination of the present war scare, witli its accompaniment of useless War expenditure by both nations. Britain shall, and must, tit all times, be paramount. It is the height of follv for the Kaiser to boast that Germain- will one clay be "master of the seas.'" The interests of both nations can best be secured by ;\ mutual, understanding being arrived at in a perfectly open manner.