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HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, FRIDAY, JULY 6TH, 1917

OUR LONDON LETTER,

[FROM OCE OWN CORRESPONENT:[ THE RUSSIAN PROBLEM AND BRITAIN'S TASK.

TROUBLE IN RUSSIA

with the now

LONDON, May 14th.

REPRISALS

AN ANSWER TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

[BY HALL CAINE.]

act which is not "physically" distinguish able from the set of the law in punish ing the taking of life, yet in the one cas we call it murder and in the other justice The act being the sunie, the difference lies in the natives which inspire it, but that is a moral difference of a completely transfiguring character, and in the eyes

GERMAN OFFICERS CRUELTY

TO THEIR MEN,

A NEWSPAPER WARNING, The brutal trentinens of German sol- sliers by their officers has long been notorious, and more than one instance is on record where men who have been

shot them dead.

alds. Others have been maimed for life

practice

*GH083 INSULTS. "--AND (WORSE?

All these fucts and others so revolting as to be unprintable base long been known, but hitherto no German news- paper has dared to refer to them. The scandal must have grown to colossal dimensions when the Abetter Zeitung,

NICHOLAS AND WILHELM- COUNT WITTE'S REVELATIONS.

REPORTED DEALINGS WITH GERMANY.

.

The Matin of May 18th publishes' a markable statement which appeared in a rent issite of the Russknge Slovo, of Moscow, -the effect that the ex Emperor

Witte

man Emperor because it was he who caused the suppression of the offensive and defensive Treaty concluded by Nicholas IE and William II. at Björke. Count Witte then insisted that M. Clinsky should son never to revent the truth with regard to this matter during his lifetime or until events made it neces

He pointed out that at the time

extrémist of civilised and Christian men it justifies of Essen,. published under the very hoses his episode ocenizred he had succt-d-

the civil law.

ARGUMENT AGAINST · DEPRISALS,

E

The argument against reprisal in war sees to confuse the object of attack and that of retaliation/ The former may originate in evil passions only, such greed, revenge, desire of conquest, whi the latter, however tragic in its conse genes, may have it ariisin and here ampulses of humanity only, again I ask the eminent jurist to consider the position of the civil law, Why does the law hang the murderer To revenge itself for the loss of a life? To

strike a balance between the dend and tur living 1 To compel the criminal to render he equivalent of his own life for the life

of Krupp's, makes such refereners to it when as those which follow. They are takened in tregotiating a large loan in France, from the issue of April 7th and it

German banking houses, however, significans that so far no further copies being greatly interested in the loun. As a result of the Moroccan crisis France of the journal have come to hand

While there has, we are glad to find, was apparently on the eve of war with been a gratifying diminution in the cases Germany, and the French Government of maltreatment of our soldiers in the had pointed out that in the event of other Innd, to note than ever before

Fratico-German complication the Russian On reaching being subjected to gross insults nad o Potsdam he discussed the Moroccan ques needless and fatiguing drill.

tion with the German Emperor, arging the need of making concussions to France, and the Emperor at once sent & felegram in this connection to the German Chan- cellor. Germany was then incapable of would have been required for the con

nabilizing the millions of money which templated military campaign. The Emperor William then asked whether Count. Witte was aware of the recent Björko agreement, and on receiving a reply in the negative ethted that he would learn of it on his return to Russia.

lean would fall through. their officers, they are, on the

Men who have been in the field for more than two years, who have fought in the Carpathians, in Houmania. Galicia, Courland, Belgium, and France, ar drilled in the most ruthless fashion tho moment they arrive forrest

point.

at y

of the

I think there is evidence of great and serious coafusion of inind in much of the The nows which comes from Petrograd recent writing, and in the speaking in Justifies the utmost concern, having the House of Lords, on the subject of ruthlessly and systematically tortured gard to Russia's continund participation reprisals, in war. The central argumout have ne last turned on their superiors Nicholas definitely signed an offensive. in the war. At the moment everything of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his Deserters have told inany terrible and defensiva Alliance with the Germ appears to be more or less in the melting fellow-Churchmen, and even of laymen stories of the cold, calculated cruelty of Emperor at the time of the Treaty of Men have Portsmouth. The statement is made on pot perhaps, all things considered, not cowardly, inhutan, and un-Christian in been murdered as an example to the the authority of a Russian journalist,

like Sir Edward Clarke, is that what is the average German officer. a surprising predicament after mich a certain of the enemy's nets of war, is est for complaining, after long periods M. B. Glinsky, editor of the fistorient

equally cowardly, inhuman and n- tremendous event as the sudden downfallhristian in our own acts of retaliation of seini-sturvation, that the rations tardily | Jessenger, who received the

from the late Count

the information of the manarchy and all it stood for. But does that follow? 1 Ask the disapplied to that are patrid and unent

Count Witre, in opening the conversa- On the one hand we see the Provisional tinguished jurist to consider the parallel by sportive officers rendered riotous tion, vigorously denied that he was Ger Government issuing orders but without of the civil law in its relation to crime.y copious draughts of looked wine, who nunophile and stated that he, more than The criminal who takes life commits AN bave made targets of them for revolverall other Russians, was hated by the Ger- the necessary physica) "force to exact obedience; on the other hand, is the Committee of Workmen's and Soldiers' Delegaten backed by force but lacking moral sanction to exercise it. The result of the existence of the two partics is a deadlock. On each sido are. and irreconcilables eager to push their ideas without regard to ultimate con sequences at horus and abroad. There are also pacifist dreamers, intoxicated wine of freedom, who imagine that if the olive branch were held out to German Socialisis Kaiseríam would follow the way of Tsardom, and the Millenium would be reached in day. And, of course, in Russia . else where there are the pro-Germans cease lessly at work helping by deviaus methods to pave the road for a peace that would destroyed? Indeed, no All such efforts would be illogica), inequitable, be satisfactory to the Central Empires. unprofitable and futile: The law kills the

This in itself is aggravating enough, A STATE OF CHAOS.

murderer in order that men may not be but the patience and forbearance of the murdered In-like manner the object of troops are further tried by the outrageous The truth is that in Russia affairs arreprisal in wer is to restrain the enemy manner in which they are addressed by In a state of chaos both in a political from committing those offences which in

their superiors. When a carapany com- four view are cowardly, inhuman and un and military sense.

AOMINST FRANCE. Luck of efficient Christian.

mander has anything to say to his re

Count Witte afterwards became Premier Greed, lust, revenge, onderuits, the youngest of whom is a thirty direction in domestic matters has its desire of conquest are not the inspiring nine-year-old Landsturm man, he usually of the first homogeneous Cabinet and motives of reprisal, therefore the moral addresses them 13 You males, you consequently had control of both he counterpart in paralysis of effective effort responsibility is not the same in the reply wine-hemds, you idiots, you vermin. legislative and executive power in Russia. in the field. The officers comprising the as in the attack. Higher Command of the Army are in the analogy of the criminal and the law

I know the answer to this will be that Then, again. Favouritism is scandalously. Thus every Governmental r

rampant at the front. In numerous cases Sovereign had to be countersigned by him, men who have been on active service in including the Treaty of Portsmouth. A favour of continuing the vigorous pro- does not take account of the innocent the field for eighteen months and two few days after taking office the Foreign secrtion of the war, but the peasant criminal has committed a murder and

sufferer. It will be argued that after a years have never been granted day's Minister informed him of the existence of leave, while others who Fave served only the offensive Convention made at Björks soldiery fraternise with the Huns in cacaped from justice, we do not think it for six or eight months have been away by the two Emperors. The Convention, opposite trenches and will not attack.right so seek out his wife and children

on furlough Three times,

Count Wilte stated, was illegal in foros and take their lives. True, though that Surely it is not too much to ask the and contrary to all the rules of honour Liberty, equality, and fraternity are the was the root principle of the blood-feud

superior military authorities to put a

and equity. He said to M. Glinsky:-- watchwords, of the rank and file. The

which satisfied the world's conscience for so many centuries. Revenge of this sort of soldiers can hardly be expected to would have been possible for me to con Against whom was the Convention con- stop to such conditions. The fortwaran se

cluded? Germans with their usual cunning are was, as Bacon desertbed it, in the absence dure for ever.

Who countersigned it? It There is a limit, and i playing up to this mood. Parties of of law, a wild kind of justice. In taking once this he passed there is no sayingsider a defensive agreement, but not in German troops are in the habit of going revenge, inuch kind men thought they what may occur.

any conditions an offensive agreement. became with their enemies, and

Obviously it was designed against France over to the Russians under cover of the Mohammed who did much to prat dosa

--for Willian constant objet, vi the practice of the blood-feud, catablished

aggression-against France, with whom white lag bearing as gifts copious up that of imposing a money penalty on trend to make him repent is the first and we had already concluded a treaty for our plies of rodka.

Discipline is 'n tribe of the guilty man, thereby admite inst. law of self-defence. The enemy at safety against Germany, Nicholas was Desertions are frequent. No wond Ling the principle of punishing the in- tacks us with bows and arrows; we repel therefore playing a double game without instructed opinion here holds to the view nocent for the guilty, But the ess ni bin with stronger bows and arrows; he considering all the consequences or the that Russia will not be able to strike fallacy in Mohammed's thenry of justice attacks us with rilles; we repel him with moral brating of his net of treachery. again this year. I do not endorse this lay in the effort to secure an equivalent, better rifles; he attacks is with guns nad The Bjorko Convention bore the sign- view: I merely put it on record. Much which was impossible. No money pay-

shells: we repel him with bigger guns ture of Admiral Barileff, and of a Ger- depends on whether the Petrograd Govment could make up to a child for the and shells; he attacks us with deadly man Admiral instead of the signatures ermont is able to consolidate its posi-loss of his father. The theory of striking

Eases: we repel him with yet deadlier of the Foreign Ministers of the two con tion: also on whether the people and the balance with crime, whether in money

gases. If defensive warfare is right, this tries Count Witte, in agreement with Army are able to realise in time that the or in blood, was false because impractic is right. The moral wrong lies with these the Russian Foreign Minister and with military defeat of the Germans is essen-able. It was also morally wrong and who begin an unjust war, and with them the support of a highly-placed individual, tial in order to secure the national contrary to the higher precepts of re-

decided that at any cost this aceret agree- liberties lately gained, and that, indeed. Ligion, as the Christian Church implied Buch at least is the theory of war, and,ment must be cancelled. He used the on that theory, reprisal is expressly Justinbeence of legal form is pretext, and, the future of a free Russia is inseparably when it established the rights of sanctu bound up with the larger issues at stake ary. The only justice lay in restraining efid by the terms of The Hague Conven in the war.

the offender and in making him repent.

tion. That the theory of war may itself And that, however wild the justice it aims be unjustifiable, under any and all condi- after, is the principle of reprisal. It is tions, is indeed an open question. Chris It almost goes without saying that an also its justification,

tians in every age of Christendom have early solution of the tangle of events in.

thought it contrary to the teaching of Eastern Europe in a mannor favourable But, it will be asked, because the enemy

Christ.

Philosophers in all countrice to the Allied cause is of profound moment; sinks a ship full of helpless wounded men,

have counted it among the grossest, the to Great Britain, which has so many are we justified in hombing an unfortified basest and most inhuman of the fallacies commitments apart from the Western town, and thereby killing his innocent that have afflicted mankind. But the theatre of war. But whether Russia is to women and children? The answer is a Archbishop of Canterbury in common be regarded as knocked out of the war hard and hitter one, in view of the un- with the majority of Churchmen, does not or not our course in perfectly clear. We merited suffering which it seems to excus, belong to either of these classes. He must go on to the end, shouldering still everything depends upon necessity. T thinks war may be right, may be just, more of the common burden, as, in fact, there is no law to punish the inhumani. may even be holy. He thinks the present we have always done in the past when the ties of the enemy when he sinks hospital war is a Christian war, because it in destinies of Europe were involved.ships; if every human impulse in the waged for the purpose of restraining the There is not the least sign of Hinching entry is suspended; if he is a base and un-Christian impulses of a barbaric or wavering on the part of our people; erafly coward, always struggling to be enemy. That being so, I ask him to clear the determination is, perhaps, even more beforehand with nets of cruelty and bar-

bis mind of confusion, and recognise the grim than over before. On the created sary. It must be right, to restrain him sind inevitable, if unwelcome and most painful

moral justification for reprisal as be necessary, and if neces an erroneous impression may be abroad by reports of widespread unrest make him repent, by whatsoever means of sequel, to the doctrine of defensive war- in the industrial world here. But these punishment he within our power to in the doctrine that it is our right and our strikes are in no sense directed against flict. That such means may involve the first duty to restrain the enemy. the prosecution of the war. They are suffering of the innocent is indeed ma absolutely without official backing, and, tragie sequel, But the suffering of the indeed, it is to be noted that the Trade innocent is inevitable in any case, and the Unina leaders are against strikes in war only open question is whether it is to be time Labour "unrest is an outcome of that of our own innocent or of the enemy. the abnormal conditions of the time. Taking this view, I charge the op- They must not be associated with paci-ponents of reprisal with advocating, how. ficism, or party politics, or with any ever unwittingly, a policy which will lead antagonism to the policy of a fight to a to the further drowning of our wounded It is no reply to say that reprisal finish with the enemy of mankind. men, and the continued suffering of our we may be fighting those who are not women and children Confusing their fighting us. Since the day when David minds on the question of responsibility, went out to meet the Philistine the fate The magnitude of the task imposed and not reing that where the motives are of the non-combatant has been in the upon the industrial resources of the different the acta are not morally the hands of the combatant. It is no answer country by the war in France alone was came, they are encouraging the criminal to say reprisals are barbaric.

All war indicated by Sir William Robertson, to go on with his crimes. To argue that fare is barbaric. Aggressive warfare Chief of the Imperial General Staff, awe must not orgage in reprisale because barbarie insanity; therefore defensive couple of nights ago. He stated in the we cannot keep pace with the outrages of warfare becomes barbaric necessity. course of a notable speech, as an illustra the enemy or compete with him in cruelty the absence of law to punish wrong, what tion of the colossal character of the war, is illogical. There is no need to compete is necessary is right. Reprisal is of the that the killed could be counted by the with him in cruelty. Because a criminal essence of warfare, and must stand or million, and the total number of men villa hin victim with the cowardly fall with it.warfare, stand. engaged amounted to 24,000,000. More brutality of a Jack the Ripper, the law I have confined myself to the discussion over, he disclosed the interesting Fact does not think it necessary to mutilate of reprisals from the point of morality that in the last five or six wack fighting the body of the murderer. in France we had expended some 200,000 moral necessity for reprisal that brought with it on the side of practical utility, It was the and honour, without attempting to deal tons of ammunition. Sir William was Americs into the war. If it should ever To say that reprisals can have no deter speaking as the principal guest at the become necessary for her (which God rent effect, but must provoke the enemy BELGIANS IN THE GERMAN ARMY. annual dinner of the Newspaper Press forbid !) to sink merchant ships in order to further revenges, is, I humbly think, Fund, an admirable organisation which that merchent chips cay not bo sank, 1 the shallowest argument of all. The same At a recent sitting of the Reichstag, had Charles Dickens as its first President think she will be justified. It can never objection, neither more nor less nor Herr Kunert (Socialist Minority), asked might be urged against every kind whether Belgians who before the war were hand to men in the exacting profession out to drown sailors. of journalism who have broken down in The

and his cal utility in giving the enemy as Archbishop of Canterbury and

been placed in the Army ANOV health or are otherwise severely buffeted fellow Churchmen are very properly anxi as he gave, let us in the name of comI- Colonel Marquardt replied that the by Fate. The gathering held this year ong that we of the Allied nations should mon-sense and clear thinking st the Mansion House (all the largo emerge from the war untarnished by the with Tolstoy (nes to anale of entry General Commanding the Eighth Army hotels are Government offices for war feul crimes that will stain the name of teachers) that violence is useless, that it Corps had stated that the persons concern. work in these days) had Lord North our enemy. But I think he does not see scribe myself, I am glad to state Sir fare is founded on reprisal. cliffe as chairman. As a professional that the whole principle of defensive war of all war is foolishness, and that it is their military duty after a decision of the War is 8 unnecessary to wait for the day when General Commanding. The War Ministry William Robertson holds that "ngbody system of reprisal but not necessarily of Christianity shall have attained to a would investigate the question of ration- more than the soldier recognises the revenge. To restrain and deter the enemy supremacy before acting on the divine ality. It it appeared that the persons value of the Press as a powerful factor

precept, Resist not evil. It is war or concerned were illegally exited up they in the conduct of the war.”

(Continued at foot of next column ) no war. We cannot have it both ways, would be immediately discharged.

BRITAIN'S PART,

0010SBAL VIGURES.

it

it

CASH OF THE INNOCENT.

|

alone.

271

E OF THE ESSENCE OF WARFARE, To condemn warfare altogether, nvon when it is defensive warfare, on grounds of religion and humanity, may be to take up a logical and even an exalted position; but to justify war, and to condemn its natural if tragical developments, is to strain at the gnat and swallow the camel.

is

In

after getting into touch with Berlin, stated that if the Emperor William refused to regard the Convention as null and void he would refuse to countersign the Treaty of Portsmouth. In this event the Emperor William would have lost the support of the German bankers, because the French loan would not have gone through. He therefore agreed to declare the Convention null and void. Count Witte stated that his intervention in for- eign politis was never forgiven either by the Emperor Nicholas or the Emperor William.

M. Glinsky concludes the account of his conversation with Count Witte by appeal ing to M, Milinkoff, until recently the iussian Foreign Minister, to search among the archives for the document that threatened to bring disaster to Russia and France and to break thoir Alliance.

HONGKONG POLICE RESERVE

POLICE SCHOOL EXAMINATION. Friday, July 4th Classes 13, 14, and

15 at Queen's College at 5.45 pm Class 12 will not be examined..

(gd) J. W. FRANKE,

Actg D.S.P. (R.).

5th July, 1917.

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE.

HONGKONG AND CHINA DISTRICT. His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to sanction the appointment. of Helens Augusta Victoria, Lady May (Commandant, No. 1 Hongkong Voluntary Aid Detachment), to be s Lady of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalen in England.

(Sa.) E. RALPHS, Officer in Charge of District

July 6th, 1917.

Din 1864, and exists to extend a helping be necessary for her deliberately to et defence in war. If there is no siding at Cologne and Ehrenfeld had

greater

defents itself, therefore that the theory

ed had been brought up for falfilment of.