OCR Text |
Show -oo A SCRAP OF PAPER. (Herald-Republican i Chancellor Von Bethmann-Holweg's explanation of his application of the phrase "a scrap of paper" to describe the Belgium neutrality treaty places Germany in a better light before the world while seriously challenging hif. own qualifications as diplomat and statesman That expression has done the German cause more harm thau the prowess of the allies armies, and the guns of the allied fleets. It robbed Germany of the world's good opinion at a time when that nation needed it most. Greater men tlmu the German chancellor have been dismissed dis-missed in disgrace for leas damaging Indiscretions. It Is possihle that in referring to the Belgium treaty as "a scrap of paper,'' Ir Belhmann-Holweg meant, as he now explains, that it was "a scrap of paper" because it had been already vitiated and violated In spirit spir-it by the action of Belgium herself He may have meant, as he tells an Associated Tress correspondent. to Convey to the British ambassador his knowledge that Great Britain had al ready planned its contravention. He may have sought to convey his conviction con-viction that England was entering the war. not in behalf of Belgium but for some damnable purpose of her own. But the interpretation the world has placed upon it is something quite different. This Incident. If the chancellor's explanation be accepted as true, is not the first to suggest Emperor William Wil-liam has been badly served by his foreign office. Prince Bismarck welded the German empire through two great wars into which he plunged plung-ed It only after Isolating by his diplomacy, diplo-macy, tho nations he attacked. It has been freely assuu&ed by students of world politics that Chis great Prussian Prus-sian of "blood and iron'' would never have begun this war, unless he was assured PJngland would not interfere. His scrupulous observance of the Belgium Bel-gium treaty in th" Kranco-l'russlan war may be accepted as indicating how he would have comported himself him-self under the similar circumstances of the present conflict. |