Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-08-26
Quotes Facts to Prove No Con-
vention or Agreement Existed
between the British and Bel
gian Governments.
ONLY INSISTED ON NEUT aAl|TI

a f5rleI NOn1 crence on tHe rev
Points of Disagreement That
Remained with Serbia.
London. Aug 25.-Sir Edward Grey, the
British foreign secretary, tonight sent
a letter to the press replying to a speech
delivered in the German Reichstas last
week by Dr. Won Bethmann-HollWeg.
the German chancellor
In the letter Sir Edward deals AZ length
with the charge that Belgium had
trafficked her neutrality with Great
Britain and the allies
There are some points in the speech
the German chancellor made last week.
the letter says. which may. think, b"
suitably dealt with in letter to the
press pending fuller review Of the situa-
ton.
"Onc Belgian record, a conversation
with the British military attache, was
published by Germany last autumn to
prov" that Belgium had trafficked her
neutrality with us, and was, in effect
in plot with us against Germany The
conversation, of which the most use has
been made. never was reported to the
foreign office nor, as far as the records
show. to the war office at the time ana
we saw a record of it the first time when
Germany published the BelEian record
"But it bears on the face of it that
it referred only to the contingency of
Belgium being attacked, that the entry
of the British into Belgium would take
place only after violation of Belgian
territory by Germany. and that il did
not commit the British government
80 convention or agreeuer existed
between the British and Belgian gov
ernments.
why does the German chancellor
mention these informal conversations
of 1905 and ignore entirely that of
April, 1913? told the Belgian minister
most emphatically that what we desir-
ed in the case Of Belgium. as with other
neutral countries, was that their neu-
tralitY should be respected, and that so
long as it was not violated by any
other power we should certainly not
send troops ourselves into their terri
tory.
FIRST CHANGE BAD FAITH
Let it be remembered that the first
use made by Germany of the Belgian
document was to charge Belgium with
bad faith to Germany. What is the
true story? On the 29th OF July, 1914
the German chancellor tried to bribe
us by a promise of future Belgian in
dependence to become "A party to the
violation of Belgian neutrality by Ger
many. ON the outbreak of the war he
dcscrihed the belgian treaty as a SCRAP
of paper ana the German foreign sec
rctarY explained that Germany must
go through Belgium to attack France
because she could not afford the time
/ to do otherwise.
! THE violation of Belgian neutrality.
! therefore. was deliberate. although Ger
many had actually guaranteed that neu-
! uaiity. and surely there has been moth
ing more despcably mean than to at
tempt to Justify it ex post facto by
bringing against the innocent. inoffensive
Belgian government and people the to-
tally false charge of having plotted
against Germany
The German chancellor does not en-
phasize in his latest speech that charge,
which has been spread broadcast against
| Belgium, Is it withdrawn and if so, will
| Germany make reparation for the cruel
| wrong done to Belgium?
THE two negotiations for an anglo
| German agreement in 1912, referred to by
the German chancellor, were brought 10
a point at which il was clear they could
have no success unless We in effect,
gave n promise Of absolute neutrality
while Germany remained free under her
alliances to take part in a European
war This can and shall be explained
by publishing an account of the nego-
tiations taken from the records in the
foreign office.
QUOTED ISOLATED SENTENCE
THE chancellor quotes an isolated
sentence of my speech of the 3rd of
August. 1914 to prove that we were ready
for war. In the very next sentence
which he might have quoted but does not
quote. ! said;
." we are going to suffer. | am afraid
terribly in this war "hether we are
in II or whether we stand aside
81 leave il to anyone, outside OF Ger
many in any neutral country, to settle
COR himself whether those are the words
of man who had desired and planned
. ,,uronean war or of one who hac
laborod to avert IL
"As to the other statement attributed
10 mo not even when we were perfectly
, ,roe when Japan, who was our ally
, had not entered the war; and when W.
u.ore not pledged to the other allies al
na ora NOW by the agreement of the hftf
of September, 1914. did say anvthnt
ca ,diculous or untrue as that 1t wa'
=. tbo interest of Germany that we hat
,ona IN war and with the object of re
straninG Russia
"Thc war would have been averted II
A., oorferoncc had been agreed to. Ger
many on the nimsiost pretext shut th'
f door against it. said | was ready t'
, ca.onorate in any method Germany
,n,,'oht nossible. If only Germany woulC
-,, ,h,. hutton in the interest of peace
"rhe German chancellor according
70 his speech. encouraged nothing ex
cent direct discussion between Vienna