Think  of  it,  think  of  the  awful
amount  of  misery  which  Great  Britain
could  have  saved  Belgium  alone,  and
herself  also,  liy  simply  giving  to  an
honest  question  an  honest  answer,  by
saying  to  Germany  in  a  straightfor-
ward manner :  "We  shall  remain  neu-
tral as  long  as  you  uphold  the  letter
and  the  spirit  of  your  promises."

Why  did  not  Great  Britain  through
the  mouth  of  her  servant  (or  had  we
better  say,  master)  Sir  Edward  Grey
give  such  a  straightforward  reply,  who
instead  rejected  all  overtures  of  Ger-
many to  come  to  a  peaceful  under-
standing, and  insisted  on  keeiiing  every-
body in  the  dark  with  regard  to  Great
Britain's  attitude  and  her  intentions,
by  saying :  "Our  hands  are  still  free
and  we  are  considering  what  our  atti-
tude shall  be."

Does  not  that  sound  very  queer,  in
fact  insincere?  Was  it  worthy  of  a
great  nation  to  prevaricate  like  did
Sir  Edward  (irey  in  this  case,  and
to  pretend  to  be  undecided  as  to  what
to  do  in  case  of  war  between  (Jermany
and  France,  after  he  had  assured
France  positircly  (British  White  Paper,
Document  No. 110)  that  in  case  of
war  between  Germany  and  France
Great  Britain  would  join  France
against  Germany?


After  promising  France  Great  Bri-
tain's help  in  case  of  war  with  Ger-
ujany. Sir  Edward  Grey  told  this  cold-
blooded, ghastly  untruth  to  the  Ger-
man Ambassador:  "Our  hands  are
still  free  and  we  are  considering  what
our  attitude  shall  be."  (British  White
Paper,  Document  No. 123.)  Was  there
ever  told  by  the  foreign  minister  of  a
great  nation  a  more  criminal  untruth
than  was  told  by  Sir  Edward  Grey  on
that  occasion?  An  untruth,  which  cost
Great  Britain  untold  treasure  in  gold
and  in  lives,  which  caused  tens  of  thou-
sands of'  widows  and  orphans  to  weep
in  Great  Britain  and  Germany  !

An  untruth  so  atrocious  that  the
Prime  Minister  dared  not  lay  the  whole
of  it  before  Parliament,  liecause  the
House  of  Commons,  as  MacDonald,  a
member  of  Parliament  said,  otherwise
never  could  have  been  persuaded  to
declare  war  against  Germany,  who  was
willing  to  fulfill  all  reasonable  condi-
tions which  P^ngland  might  ask. Arthur
Ponsonby,  another  Member  of  Parlia-
ment, In  an  open  letter  dated  August
ISth. published  in  the  London  "Nation"
of  August  22. 