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Show GERMANY NOT TO 1 j WAR ONTHE 0. S Bethmann-Hollweg Makes an j Appeal to Keep America Out of the Conflict. BERLIN, March 29. (Wireless to Sayville.) "Germany never had the i "JghteBt intention of attacking tho Tnlte.l ptntoK of America and dops not.; havp such intention now. It ner i sired war acainst the United States of America and does not desire it today." to-day." and the declaration made by the German imperial chancellor, Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg in a speech in the reichstap today. The chancellor made important declarations dec-larations concerning Germany's policv toward the United States and Russia How did those thlncs develop'' asked tho chancellor in speaking of the relations with the United States ! He thnn proceeded to answer the ques- tion by reviewing the causes of sub mantles in unrestricted warfare. Declaring De-claring that Germany had undertaken ! unrestricted submarine warfpre for its defense, Dr. von Buhmann-Hollwer said: J "If the American nation considers this a cause for which to declare war riqainsi iho German nation with which it has lived Id peace for more than 100 years, if this action warrants an increase in-crease In bloodshed, wo shall not have to bear tho burden of responsibility for it." Concerning German relations with the United States, the chancellor, whose vpnerh is reported by the Over-' seas News agency (the German official I news bureau), said: "Within the next few days the di- rectors of the American nation will be convened by President Wilson for an extraordinary session of congress I in order to decide the question of war or peace between the American and German nations. "Germany never had the slightest i iinennuii ol attacking the United States of America and does not have i such intern ion now. Ii never desired war against the United States of! America, and does not desire it today. "Hew dd these things develop? i More than once we told the United; I States that we made unrestricted use i f the submarine weapon expecting R that England could be made to ob-1 1 serve, in her polic of blockade, the I laws of humanity and international I agreements This blockade policy I 'his I expressly recall has been called I "illegal and indefensible" (the imperial I chancellor here used the English j I word.-) bj President Wilson and Secre-ll tary of State Lansing. Our expecta-il tions. which we maintained during e l lions. Which we maintained dur- 9 ing eight months, have been disap-il pointed completely; England not only j I did not only ghe up her illegal and indefensible policy of blockade, but un-' I interruptedly intensified it England, I together with her allies, arrogantly re- I jected the peace offers made by us and our allies and proclaimed her war , I aims which aim at our annihilation and 1 I that of our allies. H "Then we took unrestricted subma-! I rine warfare into our hands; we had I to for our defense. "If the American nation considers I this a cause for which to declare war J B against the German nation with which i I jit has lived in peace for more than I I 100 years, if this action warrants an I l increase ot bloodshed, we shall not I have to bear the responsibility for it. I , The German nation, which feels neith-1 I I er hatred nor hostility against the I I (United Slates of America, shall also I I bear and overcome this." h The imperial chancellor also referred I ot Germany's attitude toward the re-il I cent events in Russia, recalled in for-' I mer times the honored friendship be- j I tween the two countries. He said, I however, that this friendship had end- I ed with the death of Alexander II. l. Partisan of War Party. Emperor Nicholas had more and 11 more drifted into the entente s wake 1 1 and into pan-Slavic currents and had J I finally become a partisan of the war j I party, omnipotent under the Russian !R autocratic regime. h "Thus." said the chancellor, "in the II lateful days of July. 1914. the Russian emperor declined to listen to the ap- r peal made by the German emperor. One of the legendary reports disseminated dissemi-nated with especial emphasis by our enemie- is that it was the German German government which assisted the autocratic reactionary policy m Russia against ali the movements ofj libertv. One year ago I declared in the reichstag that this asseveration: was directly contrary to the facts. "When Russia In 1005, by the Jap- anese war and the resulting revolution, had been involved in distress, it was I i the German emperor who, on account of personal relations of friendship, ur-i gentl advised the Russian emperor no Longer to oppose the justified wishes of his nation for reforms. Emperor I Nicholas preferred other roads. In Russia, had attention been concentrated concentrat-ed on internal reconstruction, there would not have been room for the restless rest-less policy of expansion which finally led to this war and which has changed lie "Id regime so much that now it is hard even to do justice to natural human pity for the downfallen house of the rulers. "Nobody can tell how things shall develop, but our attitude toward Rus-slan Rus-slan events Is clearly outlined. We Shall also tollow the principle that wo never meddle with tho internal prob ma of other countries. It now is ma-liciously ma-liciously reported that Germany wants to annihilate the hardly conquered l peedom of tho Russian nation and that i he German emperor wants to reestablish re-establish the rule of the czar over his enslaved tmbjects. All these are merely mere-ly lies and slander, as I here expressly state. "How the Russian nation wants to construct ith home is only the business of the Russian nation and we shall not meddle With It. The only thing that we hope is th;t in Russia foundations maj develop that will make her the strong and firm bulwark of peace." |