[Applause.] What is the motive power behind them? The honor of
commercial men. [Applause.] Treaties are the currency of international
statesmanship. [Applause.] Let us be fair--German merchants, German
traders, have the reputation of being as upright and straightforward as
any traders in the world, ["Hear, hear"] but if the currency of German
commerce is to be debased to the level of that of her statesmanship, no
trader from Shanghai to Valparaiso will ever look at a German signature
again. [Loud applause.] This doctrine of the scrap of paper, this
doctrine which is proclaimed by Bernhardi, that treaties only bind a
nation as long as it is to its interest, goes under the root of all
public law. It is the straight road to barbarism. ["Hear, hear!"] It is
as if you were to remove the magnetic pole because it was in the way of
a German cruiser. [Laughter.] The whole navigation of the seas would
become dangerous, difficult, and impossible; and the whole machinery of
civilization will break down if this doctrine wins in this war. ["Hear,
hear!"] We are fighting against barbarism, [applause,] and there is only
one way of putting it right. If there are nations that say they
will only respect treaties when it is to their interest to do so, we
must make it to their interest to do so for the future.
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