OCR Text |
Show Chancellor Von Beth-mann-Hollweg Makes Announcement of the Imperial Government's Policy Toward the United States and Russia Rus-sia in Reichstag. DISCLAIMS ALL RESPONSIBILITY Says German Nation Feels Neither Hatred Nor Hostility Against This Country; if War Should Come He Expects Ex-pects the Teutons Will Be Able to Bear It. TlTTJJX, March 29, by wireless 'to Sayillc. "Germany never had the slightest intention of attacking the "United States of America, and does not have Mich intention now. 3t never desired de-sired war against the United States of America ami docs not desire it today,' was the declaration made by the German imperial chancellor, Dr. Bethmann-Holl-weg in a speech in the reichstag today. to-day. The chancellor made important declarations decla-rations concerning Germany 's policy toward to-ward the United States and Kussia. "How did these things develop?" asked the chancellor in speaking of the relations with the United States. He tlrcn proceeded to answer the question by reviewing the causes which led up to the Urnnan use of submarines in unrestricted unre-stricted warfare. Disclaims Responsibility. Declaring that Germany had undertaken under-taken unrestricted submarine warfare for its defense, Dr. von Bcthinann-lloll-wcg tiM: "If tho American nation considers this a cause for which to declare war against, tho German nation, with which it has lived in peace for more than 100 enrs; if this action warrants blood-sheil, blood-sheil, wa shall not have to bear the burden bur-den of responsibility for it.' Concerning German relations with the United States, tho chancellor, whose ppecch is reported by tho Overseas News at'iKM', the German official nows bureau, bu-reau, said; "Within tho next few days the directors di-rectors of the American nation will bo convened by President Wilson for an extraordinary session of congress, in order or-der to decide the question of war or pence between tho American and German Ger-man nartons. k Does Not Desire War, "Germany never had the slightest in-' in-' tention of attacking tho United States of America, and does not havo such intention in-tention now. It never desired war against, tho United State's of America, and does not desire it today. "How did these things develop? More than onco wo told tho United ; States that we mado unrestricted use ; of the submarine weapon expecting that Knglnud could be mado to observe, in her policy of blockade, i.ha laws cf humanity hu-manity and international agreements, 'fins tdockado policy this i txpiess-. txpiess-. y recall has been eafled 'illegal and indefensible in-defensible (the imperial chaucellor here used the English words) by President Presi-dent Wilson and Secretary t State Lansing. Our expectation's, whi.b we maintained during eight months, have been disappointed completely, Liaglaud not only did not give 1111' her ide--Tal an. I indefensible poncv of hLv'kade nut uninterruptedly intensified :t. Eugfand together with her allies, arrogi.nilv re! jeeted the peace otters n.ado bv us" and our allies and proclaimed her war aims which aim at our annihilation and that of our allies. "Then we took unrestricted subms. h rine warfare into our ban,:?; we had to for our ioton.se. "If the American latlon considers this a cause for which to declare war against the German nation, with which it. has lived in pence lor more than 100 years, if this action warrants an increase in-crease of bloodshed, we shall not have , to bear the responsibility tor it. The German nation, which feels neither ( (Continued on Pase Four.) DEGURES GERMftlW p DOES HOT WM WAR I (Continued from Page One.) f: hatred nor hostility against the United ji States of America, shall also bear and g overcome this." Attitude Toward Russia. i The imperial chancellor also referred ; to Germany's attitude toward the re- cent events in Russia and recalled in i former times the honored friendship . between the two countries. He said, , however, that this friendship had ended end-ed with the death of Alexander II. Emperor Nicholas had more and more drifted into " the entente's wake and into pan-Slavic currents, and had finally final-ly become a partisan of the war party, omnipotent under the Sussian autocratic auto-cratic regime. "Thus," said the chancellor, "in the fateful days of July 1914, the Russian emperor declined to" listen to the appeal made bv the German emperor. One j of the legendary reports disseminated ; with especial emphasis -by our enemies is that it. was the German government which assisted the autocratic reactionary reaction-ary policy in Russia against all the movements of liberty. One year ag.0 I declared in the reichstag that this asseveration was directly contrary to the facts. Urged Reform. "When Russia in 1905, hj tne Japanese Jap-anese war and the resulting revolution, had been involved in distress it was the German emperor who, on account of personal relations of friendship, urgently urgent-ly advised the Russian emperor no longer to oppose the justified wishes of his nation for reforms. Emperor Nicholas preferred other roads. In Russia, Rus-sia, had attention been concentrated on internal reconstruction, there would not have been room for the restless policy of expansion w"hich finally led to this war and which has changed the old regime so much that now it is hard even to do justice to natural, human pity for the downfallen house of the rulers. "Nobodv can tell how things shall develop, but our attitude toward Russian Rus-sian events is clearly outlined. We shall also follow the principle that we never meddle with the internal problems of other countries. It now is maliciously reported Mat Germany wants to annihilate anni-hilate the hardly conquered freedom ol the Russian nation and that tne German emperor wants to re-establish the rule of the czar over his enslaved subjects. All these are merely lies and slander, as I here expressly state. "How the Russian cation wants to construct its home is only the business of the Russian nation, and we shall not meddle with it. The only thing that we hope is that in Russia foundations may develop that will make her the strong and firm bulwark of peace." ChineseRelations. With reference to Chinese relations, the chancellor said: "Our relations with China had al-wavs al-wavs been of the most friendly nature, and if these relations have actually been terminated by the Chinese govern-ment govern-ment I need not tell you that this is not by the free resolve of the Chinese government, gov-ernment, but that it has acted under pressure of our enemies. "Financial difficulties, which could not be mastered during the war by China, also played a fair part in it. Our enemies object also is to destroy our trade in China and to appropriate without labor what has been established there during many years by German efficiency ef-ficiency and German industry. "The result of the war as I confidently confi-dently hope will give us the opportu-nitv opportu-nitv to rebuild what has been destroyed, and to rebuild it at the expense of our enemies. Then our friendly relations with China will revive, provided that China will preserve until then the necessary neces-sary force of resistance against the greed and egotism of her present protectors." |