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Show -uu GERMAN SIDE OF DISPUTE. Two important statoments of tho German side of the war camo from Berlin yesterday. Ono wa6 from Dr Theobold von Bethmann-Hollweg, imperial im-perial chancellor, and had to do with the famous "scrap of paper" utterance of the German official. The other was an indictment, against the allies for their: mistreatment of Germans in England, France and Russia. Fair play dictates that both sides lo a controversy be heard, and, as we have had the English vprsion, tho Germans are entitled to recognition. Chancellor Dethmann-Hollweg has mado this explanation of the "scrap of paper": 'I am surprised to learn that my phrase 'a scrap of paper," which I used in my last conversation with the Rritish ambassador in reference to the Belgian neutrality treaty, should have caused such an unfavorable Impression Im-pression in the United States The expression was used In quite another connection, and .the meaning Implied in Sir William Edward Goschen's report re-port and the tnrn given to it In the biased comment of our enemies, are undoubtedly responsibly for this impression. im-pression. "My conversation with Sir William fGoschen ocourred August 4. I had Jj'ist dodsTBd in the Reichstag thai jonjy dire necessityand only the struggle strug-gle for existence compelled Germany ti march through Belgium, but that Germany was ready to make compensation compen-sation for th wrong committed "Whan I ppokfp, I already had certain cer-tain Indications . OUt no absolute proof urton which to tbase a public accusation accusa-tion that Belgitum lonp before had abandoned its neutrality in its relation rela-tion with England Nevertheleas, 1 took) Germanya1 responsibilities to-ward to-ward the nuiral states so seriously thnt .1 sjvDko frankly of the wrong committed by, Germany. ' What was tho British altitude on the aariK! question" asked the chancellor. chan-cellor. "The day before my conversation conver-sation with. Ambassador Goschen. Sir Ed ware!' Gjrey, British secretary of state fcry foreign affairs, had delivered deliv-ered his f well known spcef'h in parliament, par-liament, nn which, while he had not stated oJfpressly that England would ,take part tin the war, be had left the ;raatter In little doubt. "Englanlri drew the sword," continue contin-ue the dbancellor. "only because it believed itfc own interests demanded it. Just 'for Belgian neutrality, it would nevea- have entered the war. "Thafls ivhat I mean when I told Sir WlfilamUloschen In that last inter-view inter-view when ye sat down to talk the mattetr over privately, man to man, that amotiK the reasons which had Impelled Im-pelled England to go Into tho war the Belgian neutrality treaty had for her ontty the 'value of a scrap of paper. "I may have been a bit excited and ai-(ised. Who would not have boen at seeing the hopes and the work of vhe whole period of ray chancellorship going for naught. I recalled to the ambassador my efforts ef-forts for yvars to bring about an understanding un-derstanding between England and Germany; ajQ understanding which 1 reminded him. would have made a general ICuroinean war impossible, and which abrohu'ely would have guaranteed guaran-teed the iKiao of Europe. "Such an understanding would have formed the b;&sis on which we could have approaclr.ed the United States as third partner, hut England had not taken up this plan. and through Its entry into the"" war had destroyed forever the. hope of its fulfillment. "In comparison with ?uch momentous momen-tous consequences was the treaty nol a scrap of pape Kngland oucht f i to oeaae hurling on this themt of Iteleian neutrality' DocumentB on the Anglo-Belgium military agreement which we have foicnd in the meantime show plainly enough how E;ig;land regarded re-garded this neutrality. As you know, we found in the archives of the Belgian Bel-gian foreign office documents which showed that England In IMl was determined de-termined to throw troops into Belgium Bel-gium without the irssent of the Bel-giau Bel-giau governmenl if" war had than broken out. In other words, to do exactly the same thftig for which, with aU the pathos of virtuous iudlg-natlon, iudlg-natlon, it now reproaches Germany " The second announcement from T)r Bfthmann-Hollweg is an accusation of a disregard of the rules of war by the allies and of brutal mistreatment of German non-combatants in English. French and Russian concentration camps and is as follows: "I rather admire the futility which ! frequently has enabled the British ( foreign office to turn ,i defeat ashore I or at sea Into a victory in the domain do-main of public opinion. When our ! vessels successfully bombarded towns on the east coast of England towns equipped with defenses, arsenals, batteries and other military establishments, estab-lishments, despite all statements to the contrary emanating from London no powerful fleet appeared to de- ! fend the coast; but all England was made to rise up in indignation about i our lack of civilization. Recruiting lists bulged with new names and reports re-ports were spread broadcast which shook the world with horror over our I alleged infamy. ''These reports defaming us gained I in intensity when our dirigibles threw I bombs at the fortified town of Great I Yarmouth, and warded off attack from below as they passed over British soil "Now-, is not this rather audacious 1 diplomatic journalism, in view of the I fact that British vessels bombarded the open cities of Dares-Salaam, Victoria Vic-toria and Swakopmuud t German East Africat, and have again bombarded downs on the Belgian coast without previous announcement, thereby destroying de-stroying private dwellings of the allies, without regard to who might be living there? Or when Great Britain Brit-ain supplies troops with rifles and j ammunition which only outwardly correspond cor-respond to the rules of The Hague'' "Bullets were found by us with the I core constructed in two parts in such a manner that, in loading his rifle, a soldier may easily wrench off the point of the projectile by inserting it in a sharp-edged hole drilled in a lever attached to the gun. "Thus dum-dum ammunition, with a soft lead core, has been produced In large quantities, and we have in our possession many such rifles. We have them still loaded with dum-dum ammunition. "England's other ally, France, time and again has sent aviators to bombard bom-bard towns which have no fortlfica- I tions whatever nnd no importance I from a military viewpoint, of which the most prominent are "Luxemburg ; and Freiburg, in the Black forest. "Thousands of German women and children and a few old men have now returned from France many are j still there who for months and months have suffered in French concentration con-centration camps treatment so inhumane in-humane aa almost to beggar description. descrip-tion. Most of them received only bread and dirty water for weeks. Many had nothing at all for days at a time. The sanitary arrangements cannot be discussed in public, they ware so indecent and filthy. For months men. women and children were forced to sleep promiscuously in tents or on straw strewed on barren soil. When it rained they slept. In the wet They were maltreated In the vilest manner "I do not speak of many thousands of males who suffered still more in stifling basements at Fort Crozon and elsewhere; civilians whose sufferings will put an eternal stain on French civilization. Nobody knows what was done to our people In some colonies and in Siberia. And still the British with their delicate sense of what is proper, let this go on." |
