The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1915. THE SECRET NOTE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 156, 6 March 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1915. THE SECRET NOTE.

(With which ia incorporated The Tai hape Post 0.f13 Waimarlnu News.)

The United States Government seems to be buffeted about by quite a number of conflicting influences. Its latest interference with belligerents is in the form of secret Notes; one has been addressed to Britain, who is supposed to rule the sea, and another io Germany, who professed to be able to rule the land. The outcome is not likely to alter the course the Allies have decided upon with respect to setting up a complete blockade to prevent anything going into Germany, as well as to stop v anything from coming out. In this war Germany has set up the most drastic, inhuman conditions one can conceive of; she has treated sacred compacts as scraps of paper ; she has deliberately violated all codified rules and international law' governing such conflicts, and she has desecrated every sacred object and sentiment possessed by the peoples she has over-run. In murder, rapine and the most detestable crimes against civilisation Germany easily holds the record of the world in all time. Britain, on sea and land, has conducted her campaign strictly in accordance with international law and with the international agreements all parties entered into at the Hague Conventions. In face of the fact that Germany has utterly disregarded all law's, it is too unreasonable to suppose that Britain, at an}' nation’s suggestion, is going to abandon the supreme purpose for which her navy was established and outer into any compact with a people that again and again proved to the world that there is no such word as honour in its language. There is ample evidence in the past actions of. the British Government.. to convince the mostsceptical that all efforts are being directed towards, securing as' bloodless a termination to the struggle as possible. Blockade, fe mtsraatiQßaUy? understood, is

a proper ami pr-vmisihlo mm mo. and complete isolation is !lie first ami most desirable thing ;m mmmy socks to bring about: no country knows this better than the United States. Tu the FvancoGorman War Germany laid soigo to Paris and starved its inhabitants into subjection; that is almost precisely similar to the course Britain, and her Allies arc now following with respect to Germany and Austria, And yet Britain is asked to loos - ; her hold upon the blockade she has fairly well effected, and allow loads of various goods to pass through that must operate towards prolonging the war and making the toll of blood much greater. Britain, by agreeing to what is asked, would simply assist in setting up trade relationships and contraband smuggling between Germany and neutral nations that would intensify the war and prolong the slaughter; thousands of lives on all sides would lie the sacrifice —the debt that would have to be paid for such weakness. If the United States was influenced more by humane considerations than by the desire to gel abnormal prices for the merchandise she desires to send to Germany, her course ought to be clear; if her people were earnest in their desire to cut short suffering, one would think ITiat she would support such honourable means as were calculated to end the war at the earliest possible moment. Britain is not likely to depart from the course determ in cd upon, which is quite in accordance with what transactions a 1 The Hague Convention show to be the latest developments in connection with the laws of modern warfare. Besides, its experience of Germany and German methods is such that no loophole of any kind must lie allowed to remain open for the practice of her lying and dishonesty. German statesmen have repeated again and again that nothing ii the way of agreements is Avortl the paper it is written on in time of warfare. Her deliberate and flaunted offences against Th Hague laws of Avar, Avhich Britan has respected, Avill undoubtedly influence the British Government in taking the easiest laAvfnl way of ending the conflict as bloodlessly as possible.