Apportioning the Blame
By Arthur v. Briesen.
Of the law firm of Briesen & Knauth; Doctor of Laws, New York
University; philanthropist; has served the American public as
head of important civic bodies and Governmental commissions.
_To the Editor of The New York Times:_
Having been requested by you to express my views with reference to the
war which is now lacerating Europe, I take pleasure to comply with your
desire.
As an American citizen I am, of course, under obligations to be neutral
and to send no ammunition to either belligerent. At the same time the
German blood in my veins naturally causes me to sympathize with Germany
in this conflict. But even if we leave out of consideration any matter
of sympathy, if we look upon the situation in an entirely unbiased
spirit, the conclusion which I propose to lay before you appears to be
irresistible.
The questions that seem to have agitated the American public mostly in
connection with this awful conflict have been:
_First_--Who is to blame for bringing about this war, and,
_Second_--Assuming that Germany was not to blame for beginning
the war, is she to blame for violating the neutrality of
Belgium?
If we should find the fault regarding the first question to lie
primarily with England and secondarily with Russia, we should at once
clear the German people and their Government from the charge that has
heretofore been brought against them for having incited the war.
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