Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 18, 1914, Winnipeg, Manitoba Editorial Section pages 9-16 do Peg tuesday August went and general manager. Exchange a a mailers 306, private Branch Day and Opportunity. Suggestion is made by mayor of Toronto that it would be am justifiable for the Domlin government to make pro vision for tog As great an of land t possible in the West slowed this Jujj to Loti to making next year s Jion. Ran. In an eur wheat greater in volume than be without such with the spirit of the Sug there can be no disagree whether or not it is regarded feasible by the government the Gest Ion is one which should not result As a hint too owners if Fanfel in the West to prepare for the Harvest of 1915 so much Jeater than All preceding harvests country that the world at Iii Icaline More fully than it realized the possibilities of Canada As a producer the War will mean a great in to Sidion in the orderly develop go of this country is Plain and furnishes All them f everything possible should done to increase production. A it Tom now there will be a Strong Sand for wheat. Several of the a important wheat producing entries will have no wheat next to end outside their own bord everybody in this country who 83 it w thin is Power to do any Jig towards making next year s cease under crop so great that All records will be completely tip de Iii by so doing his part Sards the achievement of so in Tiant and desirable a result be do a the greatest service to Western Anadi Iau Progress that it is possible j the present circumstances. Ese Oil or the Meitek sir Edward Grey s statement to the below is the report from the London times of the statement made to the British House of commons on monday aug. 3, by sir Edward Grey British foreign Secretary. Sir last week i stated that we were working for peace not Only for this country but to preserve re resolved to the neutrality of Belgium and it would Only be in the event of Power violating trility that France a night find herself the necessity in order to assure the defence of tier Security to act otherwise. This Assurance has been Given several times. The president of the rep Tolic spoke of to to the King of the belgians and tie French min ister at Brussels has spontaneously renewed the Assurance to the belgian minister of. Foreign from the German government reply was the Secretary of. State for foreign Afi alias could not possibly an answer before consulting emperor and the Imperial Chancellor 5 sir. Edward Goschen to whom i had said it was important to have an answer he hoped the answer would no t be too Long delayed the German minister for foreign affairs then gave sir Edward to understand that he rather doubted they could answer at All As any they might give could not in the event of War to the undesirable effect. Of disclosing to a certain extent part of their plan of Campaign. Ironical laughter i Tele graphed at the same time to Brussels to Che belgian government and i got the following reply Ironi sir Francis Villers the minister for foreign affairs thanks me for the communication and replies that Belgium will to the it risk. France entitled to know. I say that from the. Point of. View of British interests. We Felt staph Gay that France was know and u know at once or riot in the event of attack upon her. Unprotected Northern and Western. Coasts she could depend upon British support. In that emergency and in these Powers in this matter As restricting i Pelling circumstances yesterday after the Freedom of the government to de i noon i gave to the French ambassador cide what attitude they take now the following statement restricting the Freedom of the House of. Commons to decide what their Atti tude shall be. Hear i will go further and say this. The situation in the present crisis is not precisely the same As it was in the Morocco ques Tion. In the Morocco question it was primarily a dispute which concerned prance. It was a dispute As it seemed to us fastened upon France out iof an agreement existing Between us and France and to the whole world under which we to give France diplomatic sup port. I say i an authorized to give an Assur Ance that if the German Fleet comes into the Channel or through the North sea to undertake hostile operations against French coasts or shipping the British Fleet will give All the Protection in its Power. Cheers this Assurance is of course subject to the policy of his majesty s government receiving the support of parliament and not be taken As binding his majesty s government to take any action until the a Bye contingency or action of the German Fleet takes we were pledged to to thing More than i. Read that to the not As a diplomatic support but. We were deft declaration on our nicely a definite agreement As entailing immediate aggressive act Side with France diplomatically in Tion on our part but As binding us to j take aggressive action should that contingency arise. Things move very hurriedly from hour to hour 1-r.esh news comes in and i cannot give this in any that question. The present crisis. The present crisis has originated differently. It has not. Originated with regard to it has not originated with regard to anything on which we havea special agreement with France it originated with regard to any tiling primarily Concerne France. It in a dispute Between Austria and Servia. Well sir say this wit i the most absolute and no country has less desire to be involved in War Over the dispute be tween Austria and Servia than the government and country of France. Cheers they involved in it because of their of Honor under a definite Alliance with Russia. It is Only fair to state to the House that of Honor cannot apply in the same Way to us. Very Fornal Way but understand that the German government would be prepared if we would pledge ourselves to neutrality to agree that its Fleet would not attack the Northern coast of France Hon. And cheers i have Only heard that shortly before i came to the. It too naria or an engagement for loud is the More serious becom ing Moni-1 serious is the question of neutrality of Bel Gium. Cheers the position of Belgium. I shall have to put before what our position in regard to Belgium is. Omie governing is the treaty of 1839, but this is to observe and uphold it. He begged me to add that the relations Between Belg Lum and the neighbouring Powers were excellent and there was no Rea son to suspect their but that the belgian government believed in the Case of violation they in a position to defend the neutrality of their cheers it now appears irom the news i have received today which has come quite i am not yet quite sure How far it has reached me in an accurate news la that an ultimatum has been Given to Belgium toy Germany the object of which was to offer Belgium Friendly relations with Germany 01 aggrandisement of any Potter it May fee said i suppose that we stand aside in band our strength and that whatever happened in the course of this War at the end of it intervene because the Trade routes Are closed tout because there is no other Trade at the end. Continental nations in War All their populations All to Weir energies All their wealth engaged in a desperate cannot Clurry on the Trade with a that they sire carrying on in times of peace whether we Are parties to the Warfor whether we Are not. At Che end of this War whether we have stood aside or whether we have been engaged in it do not be Lieve for a if we had stood aside and remained we should be in a position a material position to use or Force decisively to undo what jihad happened in the course of the War to prevent the Wei Ole of the West of Europe opposite to us. If that had been the result of the War falling loud forced upon us by the development of facts or ant lon taken by other. Cheers i believe the country so quickly has the situation been forced poit it has not had time to realize the Issue. It perhaps. Is still the kilns or the quarrel Between Austria Ana Servia _ and not the complication s or this Date out the quarrel Iba tween Austria and ser Vaa. Russia and Germany we know Are at War we do not yet know officially that Austria the ally whom Germany is to supports yet at War with rus Sia. We know a Good Deal has seen happening on the French fron tier. We do not know that the Ger Man ambassador has loft Paris. The situation has developed 130 rapidly that technically As regards the condition of the War. It la most difficult to describe what hag actually happened i wanted to bring out tha underlying things which would affect our Owr. Conduct and our own policy and to put them clearly. I have put this fact before the House and if As scorns Only too Floro Babie we Are forced Ami rapidly forced to take stand upon those issues then i Betevis when tie country realizes what ,1s at stake what the real issues Are the magnitude of the impending dangers i the West of Europe which. I have endeavoured to de scribe to the House then i believe we shall be supported Tiroui riot Only by the House of commons but by the determination and the. Resolution the courage and the endurance of the whole country. Loud Anil prolonged cheers Niider Power. The and domination of a single i am quite sure that our moral position would be rest of the sentence was lost in a loud outburst of our obligation to Belgium. Now i can Only say that i put the question of Belgium somewhat hypothetically because 1" am not yet sure of All the facts but if the facts turn out to be As they stave reached us at present it is quite Clear Ithai there is an obligation on this country to do its utmost to prevent the consequences to which those facts will Lead if they Are undisputed. .1 have read to the House the. Only engagement we have yet taken definitely with regard to the use of Force. I think it is due to the House to say that we have taken no engagement yet regard to sending an expeditionary armed Force out of the country. Mobilization of the Fleet has taken pm Ace mobilization of the army 4s taking place renewed but we yet taken no engagement because. I to feel that in the Case of a european conflagration such As this without Prece Dent with our enormous responsibilities in India and other parts of the Empire or countries in British occupation with All the unknown factors we must take very carefully into consideration the use which we make of seeding an expeditionary Force out of ithe country until we know How we stand. Ireland the one Bright spot. One thing i would say. The one Bright spot in the whole of him Ter Rible situation is Ireland i prolonged cheers the general feeling through out Ireland and i would like this to not we Are not a a. A party to the Franco russian Alliance cumulated since. In 1870 when there we. Do not even know the terms of that Alliance. Now so Lar i think. Was War Between Virance and Ger a. Many Che question of the neutrality or was in Progress. Ministers were scat faithfully and completely cleared the Belgium arose and various things were tired All Over the country and i. Was ground with regard to the question amongst other things Prince spending three Days a . Stit ency and three Days at the foreign office. I was asked a question whether Thiese two ships so admirably adapted France and Germany we not a hostile the part of Commerce destroyers have been removed from the Hij Yective strength of the Germany my without the firing of a shot to be regarded by tire British Ach As a decided the disappearance of the Ger Man crui3eta and the bottling up of we austrian Navy at Pola the Mediterranean is again open to the world s Commerce. There stip in its Waters. Says the Outlook of new will hold the German by responsible for the War in further the Outlook gives following Brief but graphic sum of the cause of the War Austria Servia and pro posed to take it and Germany under other european from interfering. While the enters the House and takes is Confederate keeps outside and warns the neigh 1 not to the German is not getting much support tace enlightened press of the to states. Free press gives up most of its on this Page today to a Verba Ort of the speech made by sir Grey in the British House of on monday aug. 3-the Dae War broke out Between great it and Germany. Speech 9 to read in its entirety by All to be posted upon the would give armed support. I said then that i could Promise nothing to any. Foreign Power unless it was subsequently to receive the who la hearted support of Public opinion Here when the occasion arose. 1 said that in my opinion if a War were forced France then on the question of to question which had just been the subject of agreement Between this country and France an agreement exceedingly popular on both sides hear out of that agreement War were forced upon France at that time in my View Public opinion in this coun iry would rally to tha material support of France. Cheers i expressed that our Friendship with France i now come to what we think the opinion but i gave no Promise. I sex that opinion throughout the crisis so As 1 ret number almost in the same words to the French Ambas Sador and Che German ambassador at that time. I made no Promise and used no threat. Expert conversations Well sir that position was accepted by the French government but they said to me at the .1 think very if you think it possible that Public opinion in great Britain might when a sudden crisis arose justify you in giving to France the armed support which you cannot prom ise in Advance unless Between military and naval experts some conversant Irons have taken place you will not be give that support even if you wish to give it when the time there was Force in that. 1 to it and authorized these conversations to take place but on the distinct understand ing that no thing which passed Between military and naval experts should bind either government or restrict in any Way their Freedom to a decision As to whether or not they would give their support when the time arose. At this Point or. Asquith spoke to sir e. Gray i have told the House that on that occasion a general election was Iri. Pro Gress. I had to. Take the responsibility of doing that without the Cabinet. It could not be summoned and an answer had to be Given. I consulted sir Henry of to the Campbell Bannerman the prime Metis the War. This grave re Ter i consulted lord Khawane who was powerful presentation of the intervention by great Britain of Belgium must carry con to every mind. Then Secretary of state for War and the present prime minister who. Was then Chancellor of the exchequer. That was nost i could do. That was authorized but on the distinct understanding it left the hands of the situation requires of us. We Nave had for. Many years a. Long standing ship with France. Cheers and. An honorable them Ber and with i remember Well the feeling in the own feeling i spoke on , i. Think when government made their agreement with warm and cordial feeling resulting from the act that these two nations who had had perpetual differences in the past had cleared those re Mem seemed to differences away. Cheers i Ber saying .1 think that it be me that some benign influence had been at work to produce the cordial atmosphere which had made that pos sible. Far that Friendship entails and it. Has been a Friendship of the nations cheers and ratified by the every Man look into his own Pieart and Tois own feelings and construe the extent of the Obj Galoh for. Cheers i construe it myself As i feel it but i do wish to urge upon anyone else than their feelings dictate As to what they should feel about the obligation. The House individually and collectively May judge for itself. I speak my personal View and i have Given the House my own feeling in the matter. The French Fleet is now in the Mediterranean and the Northern and Western coasts of Are absolutely undefended. The French Fleet being concentrated in the Mediterranean the situation is very different from what it used to be because the Friendship which grew up Between the two countries had Given them a sense of Security that there was nothing to ;