PRUSSIAN HYPOCRISY.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 December 1917, Page 3

PRUSSIAN HYPOCRISY.

The new German “Hymn of Hate” represents President Wilson as chief malefactor, he having “supported England’s war of starvation against German women and children.” Which means that the President did not prevent our carrying out a perfectly lawful blockade. The hollowness of the German protests on this score, have been repeatedly exposed, but nothing is more to the point perhaps than a manifesto issued to the world by Prussia, on October 10, 1870, during the war with France. It was a protest to the world against being held responsible for starving the French, who preferred hunger to submission

They declared HjhQ destruction of bridges and canals ridiculous, as it had not stayed the progress of the German armies an instant. But only such repairs had been effected as served for German military needs. The conquered population would be neither fed nor removed. “The inevitable' coilsequence of this will be that hundreds of thousands will starve.” Did the agony of these make Germany pause? Not for a moment. “The French rulers cannot but foresee this as well as ourselves. We can only fight out t> quarrel forced upon us, but those''Who bring on such extreme consequences will be responsible for them.” The .retort to-day is obvious.