“that any action taken by Austria to humiliate Servia would
     not leave Russia indifferent,”

and that on the same day the Russian Charge d’Affaires at Vienna suggested to the Austrian Foreign Office

     “that the Austrian note was drawn up in a form rendering it
     impossible of acceptance as it stood, and that it was both
     unusual and peremptory in its terms”?

To which the only reply of the Austrian Foreign Minister was that their representative in Servia

     “was under instructions to leave Belgrade unless Austrian
     demands were accepted in their integrity by 4 P.M. tomorrow.”

[English “White Paper,” No. 7.]

Austria’s only concession then or subsequently to the cause of peace was the assurance that Austria would not after its conquest of Servia demand any territory.

The action of Germany on this day, July 24, is most significant.  Its Ambassador in England communicated a note to Sir Edward Grey in which it justified Austro-Hungarian grievances and ultimatum by saying that

     “under these circumstances the course of procedure and demands
     of the Austro-Hungarian Government can only be regarded as
     equitable and moderate.”

The note added: 

“The Imperial Government [Germany] want to emphasize their opinion that in the present case there is only question of a matter to be settled exclusively between Austria-Hungary and Servia, and that the great powers ought seriously to endeavor to reserve it to those two immediately concerned.”

[English “White Paper,” No. 9.]

On July 25, probably to the great surprise of both Germany and Austria, which had definitely calculated upon Servians non-compliance with the ultimatum, the latter country, under the conciliatory advice of Russia and England, made a reply in which, at some sacrifice of its self-respect as a sovereign State, it substantially accepted all but one of the demands of Austria, and as to that it did not, in terms, refuse it, but expressed its willingness to refer it either to arbitration or to a conference of the powers.

[English “White Paper,” No. 39.]

No court would question for a moment the conclusion that the reply was a substantial acquiescence in the extreme Austrian demands, nor indeed did either Germany or Austria seriously contend that it was not.  They contented themselves with impeaching the sincerity of the assurances, calling the concessions “shams,” and of this it is enough to say that if Germany and Austria had accepted Servians reply as sufficient, and Servia had subsequently failed to fulfill its promises thus made in the utmost good faith, there would have been little sympathy for Servia, and no general war.  Indeed, both Russia and England pledged their influence to compel Servia, if necessary, to meet fully any reasonable demand of Austria.  The outstanding question, which Servia agreed to arbitrate or leave to the powers, was the participation of Austrian officials in the Servian courts.  This did not present a difficult problem.  Austria’s professed desire for an impartial investigation could have been easily attained by having the neutral powers appoint a commission of jurists to make such investigation.