OCR Text |
Show oo AGAIN, WHO STARTED THE WAR? Czernin of Austria gives tho kaiser a clean bill of health. The former Austrian premier says neither tho kaiser nor Emperor Francis Joseph wanted war, and that the war came as a result of diplomatic bluffing. There is some truth in the statement as to bluffing, but the fact remains that when Earl Grey, in a last desperate desper-ate effort, directly appealed to Germany Ger-many to submit the whole controversy to an International court, the appeal fell flat and the kaiser ordered his troops to move. That was the beginning begin-ning of the war. When the first great dash in to France resulted in the German troops being driven back from the Marne, the kaiser and Francis Joseph saw clearly that their surprise attack on the west front had failed. Immediately the German and Austrian court circles sought to establish a "victorious peace." Czernin complains that as early as 1916, the central empires endeavored to bring about peace, but England and Franco refused reconciliation. How stupidly absurd it would have been for the allies to have submitted to a German dictated peace at any time! An inconclusive peace would have allowed Germany to proceed to correct its initial mistakes in the war, and strike again when ready. The crown prince discloses what inspired in-spired the central empires to offer peace early In tho war. . Frederick says Germany lost tho struggle at the battle of the Marne, September G,' 1914, and thereafter he had urged on the German government to make overtures over-tures to the allies. When the kaiser is takon to the Tower Tow-er of London and later placed on trial, the world will be given the facts, and the sequel, we predict, will be tho exiling ex-iling or executing of William Hohen-zollern. Hohen-zollern. nn |