Thomas'
example of the war of 1914, let us suppose that there had been at that
time a society of nations, that England had had an army, that the
United States had had an army, and that the Anglo-American army had
not lost a day nor an hour. Is it a certainty that they would have
prevented the Germans from being at the gates of Liege on the seventh
of August, in Brussels on the nineteenth of August, and before Paris
on the second of September? And if today France, England, America,
Italy, Japan and four-fifths of the civilized world, in spite of the
treasure of heroism and effort that has been expended, have not been
able to prevent the present result, is it possible that this would
have been obtained with the assistance of Switzerland, the
Scandinavian nations, Holland and Spain?
"The difference," continues M. Thomas, "is that there would not have
been the possibility of any discussion of the violation of rights
committed by Germany, nor upon what nation rests the responsibility
for causing the war." But is that so sure? How was there any
discussion in 1914 of the violation of Belgium by Germany? Did not
Germany herself, in the teeth of all the world, hurl the avowal of
this violation when von Bethmann-Hollweg, in the Reichstag, cynically
declared: "We have just invaded Belgium.
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