rymen.

*The Sanctity of Treaties.*

But we recognize that all hopes of settled peace between the nations,
and indeed of any civilized relations between the nations, rest on the
maintenance inviolate of the sanctity of treaty obligations. We can
never hope to put law for war if solemn international compacts can be
torn up at the will of any power involved. These obligations are felt by
us to be the more stringently binding in the case of guaranteed
neutrality. For the steady extension of neutralization appears to us to
be one of the surest ways of the progressive elimination of war from the
face of the earth. All these considerations take on a more imperative
cogency when the treaty rights of a small people are threatened by a
great world power. We therefore believe that when Germany refused to
respect the neutrality of Belgium, which she herself had guaranteed,
Great Britain had no option, either in international law or in Christian
ethics, but to defend the people of Belgium. The Imperial Chancellor of
Germany has himself admitted, on Aug. 4, that the protest of the
Luxembourg and Belgian Governments was "just," and that Germany was
doing "wrong" and acting "contrary to the dictates of international
law." His only excuse was "necessity"--which recalls our Milton's
phrase, "necessity, the tyrant's plea." It has cost us all the deepest
pain to find the Germany which we love so intensely committing this act
of lawless aggression on a weak people, and a Christian nation becoming
a mere army with army ethics. We loathe war of any kind. A war with
Germany cuts us to the very quick. But we sincerely believe that Great
Britain in this conflict is fighting for conscience, justice, Europe,
humanity, and lasting peace.

*Dictated Terms.*

This conviction is deepened by the antecedents of the present unhappy
war. In allowing her ally Austria to dictate terms to Servia which were
quite incompatible with the independence of that little State, Germany
gave proof of her disregard for the rights of smaller States. A similar
disregard for the sovereign rights of greater States was shown in the
demand that Russia should demobilize her forces. It was quite open to
Germany to have answered Russia's mobilization with a
counter-mobilization without resorting to war. Many other nations have
mobilized to defend their frontiers without declaring war. Alike
indirectly in regard to Servia and directly in regard to Russia, Germany
was in