The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-08-26
SIR EDWARD GREY
tcosuna.e rros rlr.s rare,

helgian document Was 70 charge Bel
Gum With had fAith 20 Germany.
What Il the true story on IN. 2sth
or July. 1914 the German chancellor
Tried 20 bribe ~ BY a promise %
future Belgian Independence 90 De-
come partF to the violation OF Bel
gian neutrality by Germany.
on the outbreak o. the var he De-
scribed the Belgian treaty a. a scrap
OF paper. and the German foreign sec
Rotary explained that Germany must
90 throush Belgium 10 attack France
because she could not afford the time
10 do otherwise The statement OF
Herr Won JsEow u worth qouting
again:
The imperial government had TO
advance into France by the quickest
and easiest way so as 70 be able TO
get well ahead Vith the operations
ana endeavor TO strike some decisive
oioN as early as possible II was
matter OF life and death With them.
a. " they had gone by the more
southern route they could not have
hoped. In view OF the paucity OF roads
and the strength OF the fortresses. to
have got through without formidable
opposition. entailing great loss OF
time. This loss OF time would have
meant time gained by the Russians
for bringing up their troops to the
German frontier Rapidly OF action
was the great German asset. while
mat OF Russia was an inexhaustible
supply OF troops
In the reichstag. too. on the fourth
or August. 1914. the German chancel-
Tor stated referring TO the violation
OF the neutrality OF Belgium and Lux
emburg
The wrong. I syeak openly. the
wrong We thereby commit we will try
10 make good as soon as our military
aims have been attained
Violation Deliberate.
The violation OF Belgian neutrality
therefore. was deliberate. although
Germany had actually guaranteed that
neutrality; and surely there has been
nothing more despicably mean than
TO attempt TO justify IL. expost factU
by bringing against the innocent. in
offensive Belgian government and peo-
pie the totally false charge of having
plotted against Germany
The German chancellor does not
emphasize in his lates speech that
charge. which has been spread broad
cast against Belgium Is II with
drawn: and II 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 point at which II was
clear they could have no success un-
less we. in effect. gave a promise of
absolute neutrality while Germany re
NAMED free under her alliances to
take part in a European war. This
can and shall be explained by publish
ing an account OF the negotiations TAX
en- from the records in the foreign
office
The chancellor quotes an isolated
sentence OF my speech OF the third
of August, 1914. TO prove that we were
ready for war. In the very next sen
tence. which he might have quoted
but does not quote. I said:
Will Suffer In or Out
We are going 10 suffer. am
afraid. terribly. in this war. whether
we are In II or whether we stand
aside
81 leave it anyone. outside OF Ger
many, in any neutral country. TO set
tie for himself whether those are the
words OF a man who had described
and planned a European war or one
who had labored 10 avert IT, The ex-
tent OF the German chancellors mis-
application OF the isolated sentence
which he quotes will be obvious to
any one who reads the full context Of
the speech.
AS to the other statement attri-
buted TO me. not even when we were
perfectly free. when Japan. who was
our ally. had not entered the war.
and when we were pledged to the
other allies as We are now by the
agreement Of the 5th OF September,
1914. did ] say anything so ridiculous
or untrue as that IL was in the inter
est OF Germany that we had gone TO
war and with the object of restrain
ing Russia.
The war would have been averted
~ the conference had been agreed 10.
Germany on the flimsiest pretext shut
the dor against H."