The Ogden Standard

WAR POLICIES OF PORTUGAL
Did Not Declare Hostilities With Germany- Sympathies of Republic With Entente.
FOR CAUSE OF LIBERTY
Teutons First Aggressors Made Constant Inroads on Portuguese Territory.

LISBON, May 1.-(Correspondence of the Associated Press).-His excellency, the minister of foreign affairs of Portugal, Senor Don Augusto Luiz Vicera Soares, today received a representative of the Associated Press at the foreign office, now located in the famous Necessidades palace, where King Manuel and the royal family lived until the bombardment of the revolutionary army and fleet drove them into exile and made Portugal a republic.

The private office of the minister is in one of the elaborate suites of apartments formerly occupied by the dowager queen, mother of former King Manual, and widow of King Carlos, who was shot when the revolution first broke out. It was here that the minister received the correspondent, and for half an hour talked of Portugal's part in the European war.

Senor Soares is a distinguished lawyer of Portugal, and this is the fourth time he has occupied the post of minister of foreign affairs under the republic.

General War Policies.

When the minister was asked as to the general policy of Portugal toward the war he said:

"It should be borne in mind that it is not Portugal which has declared war on Germany and its allies, but Germany which has declared war on Portugal, basing this action on the question of German ships held in Portuguese ports. But back of this direct issue which brought on a state of war there were strong tendencies in Portugal toward supporting the cause of the entente allies. First there was the traditional alliance Portugal has long had with England, dating for centuries, and always bringing about mutual action between the countries on all the more vital questions of international relations. Then there was also the national sentiment of Portugal as a Latin country to cast its lot with France and the other Latin countries threatened by Germany.

And with these two main currents of sentiment, there was the feeling that the cause of the entente allies represented the cause of liberty, justice and humanity, the sacredness of treaties and the protection of great and small states alike, as against a Teutonic policy of aggression, conquest and general disregard of the restraints of treaties and of international law.

"Some of our people," the minister went on, "felt that Portugal should adopt a policy similar to Spain, of strict neutrality. Others urged that our policy should be like that of Japan, not participating in the war in Europe, but giving our chief attention to our colony in South Africa as Japan is giving her chief attention to her interests in Asia. Then there was the monarchist element still existing in Portugal, which favored joining the entente allies, but opposed everything the republican government desired to do. But these were largely individual shades of opinion, in the press and among the public. In the end, it was not the policy of Spain, or Japan, or any other country which prevailed, but the policy of Portugal herself, republican Portugal, designed to preserve our interests and protect our territory particularly our colonial possessions and at the same time preserve our traditional and racial relations with the countries favoring the entente alliance.

"Did Germany commit the first act of war?" the minister was asked.

"Yes," he replied, "even before the declaration of war and our formal recognition of a state of war, Germany was menacing us and committing warlike acts against the frontiers of our colony in Africa, where German East Africa is wedged in between our colonies and those of England and Belgium. Hemmed in as she was, Germany made constant inroads on our territory, although we were at that time out of the war. Our protests to Berlin brought the reply that no information could be obtained from the German authorities in Africa. It was much the same as the fruitless efforts to secure information on the sinking of ships by German submarines. And so our representatives received little or no satisfactory response, and this in the end contributed to our feeling that a state of war was precipitated under such intolerable conditions.

"Going to war was a serious affair for Portugal," added the minister, "for