New Britain herald., 1914-08-29
TIMING OF BELGIUM
 ILLEGAL, SAYS EXPERT
Yale Professor Claims Germany
 Violated Law Of Nations.

New Haven, Conn, Aug. 29.-Prof. Theodore $. Woolsey, Iale's interna- tional law expert, who has just re- turned from Europe. said last night in commenting on the war situation that the kaiser's act at Brussels was illegal.
 According to The Hague rules" Prof. Woolsey said, it Is forbidden to penalize by pecuniary indemnity OF personal punishment any general body of people for violation of the laws of war by a few. So that even if the Belgians had violated the rules of war, unless you can show that the entire population of Brussels was, as a body, responsible. it is illegal to levy a heavy fine upon them.
 Ratified By Germany.
 '1t was stated at the outbreak of this war that the Germans dropped contact mines at the mouth of the English channel. If so, that was H. legal, unless they were so construct ed as to become harmless after an hour. These are all special provi- sions of one or another of The Hague conventions of 1907 signed and ratified by Germany.
 Looking at the momentous events in broad way" continued Prof Woolsey, it seems to me as if we were watching an application of the old principle of the balance of power, which was discarded at the time that Germany leaped into European prom thence in 1866 and 1870.
 Compares Kaiser to Napoleon.
 ''The European coalition of the present day against Germany is, in the last analysis, dictated by the fear of the danger from the growing power of German militarism, just as nearly one hundred years ago there was a European dread of French militarism in Napoleon. I think that the resemblance between the two sit uations is not strained and is rather striking.
 The difference in the situations of Luxemburg and Belgium is that. while both are neutral states, Lux emburg is not allowed by the terms of the neutralization treaty in 1867 to maintain fortifcations or to have protection of her neutrality"
 Asked his opinion as to the out come of the war, Prof. Woolsey con- tinued:
 No one can say. In war nations fight through three different agencies, through their naval forces. through their land forces and through cred- it's, so that in comparing the strength of the two alliances now at war we must bear in mind, not only the naval and land forces but their respective financial wealth and flnan- cial credit and resources.
 Big wars are generally carried to the point of reciprocal exhaustion be- cause 1t is a great deal more difficult to surround and capture the huge armies of today. This was shown in the Japanese war.
 Bomb Rule Not Operative.
 "The charges in regard to espion- age and the abuse of the Red Cross and of excessive cruelty are insepara- ble from the outbreak and conduct of every war. At the last Hague confer ence in 1907 a convention was draft ed, forbidding the thr0wing of ex- plosives from airships until after the close of the next or third Hague con- ference and would have covered the present war. Germany and other powers, however, declined to sign this and it is thus inoperative.'
 Prof Woolsey had good word to say for the mass of German people.
 'The people of Saxony and Bavaria