Guilty !

Levin Daily Chronicle, 12 September 1918, Page 4

Guilty !

The Government has printed for free distribution a p;im pihilet entitled ; "Guilty 1" written by <J. A. McOurdy, M.P., England, and embodying the disclosures of Prince Lichnowsky, the German Ambassador to England in 1914 and for the years immediately preceding the otubreak of war. These memoirs were written by the Ambassador for private circulation only. Unfortunately," he says, one of his political friends to whom lie tod shown the -document under a pledge of absolute secrecy, "gave my memorandum to an officer to read—an officer employ, ed in the political department of the Geaieral Staff. Completely failing to understand the importance of what he was doing, this otiiceir manifolded the memorandum and, sent it to a number of personages, most of wthom are unknown to me. When I heard of the mischief, it was, unfortunately, too late to call in all the copies that had been given out. Ureat efforts wore made to prevent the further circulation of these observations but they reached England and their publication this year caused a great sensation. Prince Lichnowsky's revelations may be summed up in the, sentences: Germany encouraged) Austria to attack Serbia though no German interest was involved; Germany rejected mediation even wihen Austria was ready to be satisfied by the Serbian reply. Germany deliberately destroyed the possibility of a peaceful settlement. "We pressed for war," says the Ambassador.' "After our refusal Si Edward Grey asiked us to com© forward, with a proposal of our own. ,'We insisted on war. Berlin went on insisting that Serbia must be massacred." And so the Great War was forced on Europe. The rulers of Germany hadi their way, and to-day one-third of tihe people of Serbia—men, women, and children—lie massacred in the giant graveyards which have been dug because the rulers of Germany had their way. "In view of these indisputable facts," says the German Ambassador, "it is not surprising that the whole civilised world outside; Germany attributes to us the sole guilt for the world-war." The London Daily News declares these memoirs disclose ' 'the blackest etory of devilry in the world's history. It blows to the win.de the last fragment of the case of those who have opposed the war—wiho for three years and riioire have said that we were guilty too, who have taught the unthinking the mischievous cant about a fight between this group of capitalists and that, and encouraged- them to doubt and ask, What are wo fighting about? (Copies of tlii s illuminating pamphlet may be had) gratis on application to trie Private Secretary of the Minister for Defence, Wellington. Our copy is forwarded by Mr W. H. Field, M.P.)