From the Manchester Guardian, August 1,  1914

“Who, then, makes war? The answer is to be found in the chancelleries of Europe, among the men who have too long played with human lives as pawns in a game of chess, who have become so enmeshed in the formulas and the jargon of diplomacy that they have ceased to be conscious of the poignant realities with which they trifle.

“And thus will war continue to be made until the great masses who are the sport of professional schemers and dreamers say the word which will bring not eternal peace, for that is impossible, but a determination that wars shall only be fought in a just and righteous and vital cause.

And one of several letters to the editor, in response.

A criminal act
Sir – I would thank you for your brave stand for peace. Is Europe to be drenched in blood and are we to be involved because in an obscure town a madman kills a prince? It is incredible that a Liberal government, whose members have spoken eloquently for peace, should abandon our impregnable independence. Let the people revolt against so criminal an act. Were we to fight, the consequences would be too awful to contemplate.
Edwin T Heys, Mile End, Stockport