New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-07

81 make this petition on IT'S merits
without claiming any representative
character except such as attaches TO
me as a human being. Nobody here has
asked me TO do it.. Many fnglshmen
will say that q request to the beliger-
ents 10 evacuate Belgium forthwith
would be refused, could not pc IotCeu
and would make the asker ridiculous
We are. in short, not prayetul ma.
ton, but TO you II will be clear 'h@'
even the strongest power or even al
Gcd croun of movers can have its po-
sirion completely changed by an eN-
preston of public opinion by the rest
Of the world.
Kaiser Lacked Faith
ON your clear Western atmosphere
and in your peculiarly responsible po-
sition as head and centre Of the West
err democracy, you, when the Europ-
cau situation became threatening,
three months ago. must have been
acutelv aware of the fact TO which
Europe is 80 fatally blind, namely
that the simple solution Of the diiii-
cultv in which the menace OF q IRAN
co-Ruseo- British entente placed Ger
many was for the German Emperor 10
leave his western frontier under the
safeguard Of the neighborliness and
GOOD faith Of the American, British
and French democracy and then await
unite calmly any action that Russia
might take against his country on the
"Had he done 50 we could not have
ottocked him from behind, and had
France made such an attack, and II IS
in the extremist degree improbable
that French public opinion would
have permitted such a hazardous ana
uniustifable adventure. he would at
tho worst have confronted II with the
fullest sympathy of Great Britain and
the United States and at best with
their active assistance.
Tnhappilv. German kings do not al
low democracy TO interfere IN thelr
foreign policy. They do not believe IN
reighborlincss. and do believe IN can
non and cannon fodder.
"The Kaiser never dreamed OF con
fdipg his frontier to YOU and 10 the
humanity of his ncighbors, and the
diplomatists Of Europe never thought
of that easy and right policy, and could
NOT suggest any substitute Tor ~, WIN
the hidcous result which Is before
YOU.
Only Pleads for Belgium
.Now that this mischief has been
done and two European thunderclouds
have met and are discharging Their
lichtnings, il is not for me 10 NEEDLE
with the question whether the United
States should take any side IN thelr
warfare as far as il concerns them
selves alone. but / may plead for the
perfectly innocent neutral state OF
Belgium. which has been ravaged IN
horrible manner by the belhg rents.
81 grant Belgium IN her extreme
peril made only one mistake. She
called 10 her aid the powers of the
Entente alone. instead OF calling on the
whole world of kindly men. She should
have called on America, too. and ~ is
hard 10 see how you could ln honor
have d!sregarded that call; but II Bel
e-ium saws nothing. but only turns her
eyes dumbly toward you whist you
look at the red ruin ia which her N4I-
lagos. her heaps Of slain, her moAu-
ments AND treasures ale beng hurled
bv friends and enemies alike. are you
any less bound 20 speak out than d
Belgium had asked you 20 send q mill
ion soldiers? Not for q moment 40 1
suggest that your intention should be
Intervention on behalf OF either Allies
or Entente If you consider both sides
equally guilty.
I'VE know you can find reasons Tor