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Show M 1ST GO 1 UfflL II H5US Ifl Secretary of State Lansing Declares Compromise Cannot Can-not Even Be Considered. Con-sidered. CITES MANY CASES OF HUN TREACHERY Proves His Point by Telling of the Sussex Case and Promises Made Regarding Regard-ing U-Boat Warfare. SCHENECTADY", N. Y., June 10. "Prussianism and the idea of enduring peace among nations can never be brought into harmony; compromise cannot even be considered," Robert Lansing, secretary of state, declared here today, in an address as honorary chancellor of Union college for lias. Instance after instance, from his own experience at the head of America's Amer-ica's foreign office, were cited to prove his poirit because, he asserted, "Americans, "Amer-icans, even those intellectually equipped, have but vague ideas of the attitude which made Prussianism possible." "It is a fact not generally known," said Mr. Lansing, "that within six weeks after the imperial government had, in the case of the Sussex, given this government its solemn promise that it would cease ruthless ruth-less slaughter upon the high seas. Count Bcrnstorff, appreciating the worthlessness of the promise, asked the Berlin foreign office to advise him in ample time before the campaign of submarine murder was renewed, in order that he might notify the German merchant ships in American ports to destroy their machinery, because he anticipated that the renewal of that method of warfare would, in all probability, proba-bility, bring the United States into the war. Sure of His Ground. "How well the ambassador knew the character of his government and how perfectly per-fectly frank he was! He asked for the information without apology or indirection. indirec-tion. Tiie very bluntness of his message shows he was sure his superiors would not take offense at the assumption that their word was valueless and had only been given to gain time, and that when an increase in-crease of Germany's submarine fleet warranted, war-ranted, the promise would be broken without with-out hesi tation or compunction. What a commentary on Bernstorff 's estimate of the sense of honor and good faith of his government! - "In view of this spirit of hypocrisy and bad faith, mani fest ing an entire lack of conscience, we ought not to be- astonished that, the Berlin foreign office never permitted per-mitted a promise or a treaty engagement to stand in the way of a course of action which the Gcman government deemed expedient. ex-pedient. I need not cite as proof of this fact the flagrant violations of the treaty neutralizing Belgium and the recent treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This discreditable characteristic char-acteristic of German foreign policy was accepted ac-cepted by German diplomats as a matter of course and as a natural, if not a praiseworthy, praise-worthy, method of dealing with other governments." gov-ernments." Causes of the War. The causes of the war, Mr. Lansing said, were simply the German desire for world dominion. "That was and is the central thought of Prussianism," he" said. "It excited the cupidity of the governing and wealthy classes of the empire; it dazzled with its anticipated glories and by its promise of a boasted racial superiority the German millions who were to be the instrument of achievement. With a devotion and zea' worthy of better cause, they turned their energy into those channels which would aid the ruling class. "We must go on with the war. There is no other way. This ta.k must not be left half done. We must not transmit to posterity a legacy of blood and misery. We may in this great conflict go down into the vallev of shadows because our foe is powerful and inured to war. We must be prepared to meet disappointment and temporary reverse, but we must, with American spirit, rise above them ; with courageous hearts we must go forward until un-til this war is won. |