Mr: Balfour in the House of Commons on Wednesday exposed
the hollowness of Count Hertling's speech by comparing his pro- fessions with his practice. Taking the question of Belgium as a touchstone of German sincerity, Mr. Balfour pointed out that Count Herding, in asking that Belgium should no longer be " a jumping-off place for enemy machinations," not only made an unlace, suggestion, but also implied that Germany would not repair the grievous wrong which she had done to Belgium by restoring her full independence. Count Herding said that he was for " essential justice," and yet refused to consider the case of Alsace-Lorraine. He professed to abhor the bartering of provinces, and yet had promised Polish Cholm to the Ukraine. He was nominally in favour of considering the interests of populations, and yet wanted to restore Armenia, Palestine, and Mesopotamia to the alien Turkish rule. Count Hertling's masters were invading Russia in the name of humanity, but set humanity at defiance in their treatment of Belgium. Count Hertling's criticisms of the British Empire left W3 unmoved. " We are ready to stand our trial at the bar of history." Mr. Balfour added that to begin negotiations before it was certain that they could be carried to a successful issue would be to commit the greatest crime against the future peace of the world.
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