Germany And The Canal.

New York Times 100 years ago today, September 28, 1912:
Advised Not to Take England's Side in the Rate Controversy.
By Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times.
    BERLIN, Sept. 27.— Gen. von Bernhardi, author of the book "Concerning the War of To-day," contributes to The Post an article on "Germany and the Panama Canal Bill."
    If Germany should enter into negotiations with the United States on the subject of tariffs, he says, her sole aim would be to insure that exemption from the payment of dues would be restricted exclusively and explicitly to American coast shipping, and should not be extended to any oversea traffic whatsoever. This is the only point, he declares, where German interest is affected, and he contends that "we do not need, therefore, to join the English protest and stake our good relations with America on it."
    The General explains how different is the situation for England, as for her it is primarily a question of prestige. The United States Government, he remarks, has simply torn up the treaty concluded with England, and as no court of arbitration in the world could approve such procedure, it may be assumed that the United States will refuse to submit the matter to arbitration. Should the United States really do this, and also make no other concessions, England will have suffered a grave political and moral defeat, and her prestige in the world must necessarily thereby be lowered.
    Such being the situation, it is most desirable, in Gen. von Bernhardi's opinion, that Germany shall neither support nor help England in her action against America, for in the first place England would, when the crisis was over, forget any services rendered by Germany and revert to her policy of hostility, and in the second place it is to Germany's interest to maintain friendly relations with the United States. It would be a serious mistake, he says, to sacrifice these relations for the very uncertain prospect of an agreement with England.