TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1914-11-24
Belgian Neutrality.
By Professor JOHN w. BURGESS. of
Columbia University, New York.

Columbia University, New York.
So much has been said about Belgian
neutrality, SO much assumed, and II
has been such a stumbling block in the
way OF any real and comprehensive un-
derstanding of the causes and purposes
Of the great European catastrophe, that
1t may be well TO examine the basis Of
il and endeayor TO get an exact idea oi
its scope and obligation.
OF course, we are considering here
the question of guaranteed neutrality,
not the ordinary neutrality enjoyed by
all States not at war, when some States
are at war; the difference between or
binary neutrality and guaranteed nen'
trality being that no State is under any
obligation to defend the ordinary neu-
trality Of any other State against in
fringement by q belligerent, and no
belligerent is under any special obliga-
tion TO observe IL. Guaranteed neutra-
lity is, therefore, purely question Of
specific agreement between States.
On the 10Th day of April. 1889, Bel.
gium and Holland, which, from 1915 to
1880, had formed the United Kingdom Of
The Netherlands, signed treaty OF
separation from, and independence Of,
each other It Is in this treaty that the
original pledge of Belgian neutrality Is
to be found. The clause Of the treaty
reads: Belgium in the limits above
described shall form an independent nea.
tral State and shall be bound 20 OBJ
serve the same neutrality toward all
other States. On the same day and AZ
the same place, London, q treaty, known
in the history Of diplomacy as the Quin.
tuple Treaty, was signed by Great Bri.
tain, France. Prussia, Austria, and Rus.
sia, approving and adopting the treaty
between Belgium and Holland. A little
later, May IL, the German Confedera-
ton, OF which both Austria and Prus-
sia were members, also ratified this
treaty.
In the year 1896 the German Con.
federation was dissolved by the war be-
tween Austria and Prussia, occasioned
by the schleswig- -Holstein question. In
1867 the North German Union was
formed, OF which Prussia was the lea.
ding State, while Austria and the Ger
man States south OF the river Main
were left out Of 1t altogether. Did
these changes render the guarantees oi
the treaty OF 1889 obsolete and thereby
abrogate them, or at least weaken them
and make them an uncertain reliance
The test OF this came In the year 1870
at the beginning of hostilities betweer
France and the North German Union
Great Britain, the power most inter
ested in the maintenance Of Belgian
neutrality. seems to have had consider
able apprehension about it. Mr.. Glad
stone, then Prime Minister, said in the
House Of Commons: II am not able II
subscribe TO the doctrine of those who
have held in this House what plainly
amounts to an assertion that the simple
fact OF the existence Of guarantee Il
binding on every party to 1t, irrespec
tive altogether Of the particular posi-
ton in which II may find itself wher
the occasion for acting on the guaran
tee arises."
Proceeding upon this view, the Bri
tish Government then sought and pro
cured from the French Government ant
from the Government Of the North Ger
man Union separate but identical trea
ties guaranteeing with the British Go
vernment the neutrality of Belgium dur
ing the period Of the war betweei
France and the North German Union
the so-called Franco Prussian war, whicl
had just broken out, and for one yea
from the date OF its termination. II
these treaties It is also TO be remarked
that Great Britain limited the possible
operation Of her military forces In main
tanning the neutrality Of Belgium h
the territory Of the state Of Belgium.
These treaties expired in the yea
1879. and the present German Empir'
has never signed any treaty guarantee
ing the neutrality Of Belgium. More
over, between 1879 and 1914 Belgium
became what is now termed q work
power; that Is, it reached population
Of nearly 100000 people. II had a well
equipped army Of 100000 men am
powerful Notifications for its own de
fense; it had acquired and was holdinI
colonies covering 100000 square mile
Of territory. inhabited BY 100000
men, and it had active commerce, me
dated by It's own marine, with many. !
not all, parts Of the world. Now, thes
things are not at all compatible In prin
eipls with \ specialiy guaranteed nautra