The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-09-26
BELGIAN MINISTER
GIVES OUT STATEMENT

Emil Vandervelde, Socialist men,
Der of the High Commission appointed
by the Belgian government now visit
| ing the United States to lay before
the American people the uuwar-
ranted atrocities heaped upon little
Belgium by the kaiser's armies gave
| the following statement regarding the
! stand Of the Socialists Of the warning
nations to the Socialist press of the
| United States. We copy the state
| naent for the columns Of the New
! York Call
BY EMIL .VANDERYELDE,.
TO the Socialist press of America
! In all International conflicts Of lat
ter years, the International Socialist
! movement has found itself united. It
Was. still 50 On the eve of the present
conflict. War had already been de-
elared by Austria on servia when the
international Socialist bureau, con-
Vened. with special ;urgenee at Brus-
sells, took the stand that Germany
should prevail upon Austria, France
! upon Russia, to assure the entire
world Of the localization Of the con.
flict. And with our whole hearts we
render this testimony to our German
! comrades, that in their efforts for
the maintenance of peace they did
! their, duty, their whole duty, and
more than their duty.
But this effort has been in vain.
The war has become generalized. All
! direct communications have. been rem
! dered impossible between the Social
lists Of Germany: and those of other
| countries.
| On both sides millions Of proletar-
ians find themselves confronting one
another as enemies. .-.t
What gives our situation a particu-
! larly tragic character Is the fact that
! on both sides the Socialists appear
! equally convinced thai It is a question
! of g. war Of Defense Similarly. with
the French and Belgian Socialists,
who are firmly fixed on the idea that
! it is 2 case Of leginate defense, the
! German Social Democrats have voted
/; the credits for the war
! We will naturally be careful not
! to address any reproaches to them
! in this matter. We take eognizance
of the difficulties of the situation: If
they had refused to vote for credits
for the war they would have given
their country to Cossack invasion. In
voting them they have furnished to-
the kaiser arms against Republican
France, and against; denaocracies OF
western Europe -.
Between the two evils they chose
the one they considered the lesser
F! Again, I repeat, we do not blame
them. But we, who are defending
our independence, ere infexibly re-
solved to defend 1t to the end. ID And
since--in respect to Belgium-Ger-
many has not limited herself to open :.
! ing = passage by arms and has
/ prosecuted against us = war ofzcof1-
quest and vengeance, since she has
committed against us acts ot@violence
which are not only contrary to. hui
/ nlanfty. but constitute. formal infrac-
tions Of international law. a ruling OF
! The. Hague on war. we dare to hope
that on j. the day that our German
i comrades are exactly informed in re.
! gard to the horrors that have been
committed in Belgium. they will Join
US in denouncinx and =, scourEing
! them r sf575S ny
!. I will say not more about It,, being,
4 member of the special commission
sent by the Belgian government Is
! President Wilson. have bound my
self to say nothing before our docu-
! nnents shall have been submitted TO
the first l1haeistrate OF United states.
! ! limit myself to expressing the hope
1 that the entire Socialist Intern ationaI
will stand beside us to affirm It's sym
/ pathies for our people III using their
right Of legitimate defense against
Il pYiIaai n1itifa riitTI