Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-23
SEPARATE PEACE OFFER
MAY Be MADE BELGIUM
Will Include Proposal to Pay for All
Property Damage Caused by
German Occupation.
RUMOR HEARD IN WASHINGTON
Question OF Voluntarily Withdraw
ing From All Occupied Portions
Now Being Carefully Considered
by Official Circles i'm Berlin.
Especial to The Times-Dispa,chl

tSpcclal TO The Times Dispatch.
WASHINGTON. n c.. January a2--
Information has been received In dip
lomatic circles in Washington that
Germany is considering making Bel
Gium proposal of separate peace
The evacuation of all Belgian territory
would follow.
1t is understood that the proposal
which will be made to King Albert by
the military governor OF Belgium, will
include an offer TO pay for the property
damage caused by the German occupa-
| ton.
| officials in close touch with the Ger
| man embassy expressed the opinion to-
day that the offer, If made. probably
| would be accepted. Belgium is not one
OF the signatories TO the document TO
which Sir Edward Grey obtained the
| signatures of the French and Russian
and later the Italian governments. and
| which binds those nations not to con-
cludc separate peace. The rcstora-
tion of Belgium would leave the allies
no room for protest. in the opinion of
this authority. inasmuch as it has been
TINS one point on which the allies have
| been most insistcnt as condition OF
! peace.
| II can be stated authoritativcly that
| the question OF voluntarily withdraw
| ing from all the occupied portions OF
Bclgium-on the one condition that
| Belgium first consent to conclude n
| separate peace with the central en-
| pircs-is now being carefully consid-
cred in official circles in Berlin.
ARRANGEMENT WOULD ACCRUE
TO ADVANTAGE or GERMANY
II Ia pointed out that the conclusion
OF such an arrangement would accrue
to tho advantage Of Germany. for the
following reasons:
+. |. The conclusion OF n separate peace
with Germany would AUTOMATICALLY di-
vorce Belgium from the other allies.
:. The occupation by any of the al
lies OF amy part OF belgian territory
would become a violation of neutrality
precisely comparable with the much
quoted violation of neutrality of which
Germany has been declared guilty.
;. For the allies to commit such n
breach of neutrality after having used
it rs an excuse for making war on
| Germany is too inconsistent to he pos
siblc
4. With immunity from attack from
that portion OF her frontier facing Bel
Gium, Germany would have for dis
posal elsewhere the vast army now ac-
tually In Belgium and in the trenches
on the western portion Of the battle
line.
.. inasmuch as Germany has never
at any time had any intention OF oc-
cupying Belgium permanently, her
withdrawal now. instead of at the end
of the war, would not fail 10 he Of
great advantaGe-not only because of
the accompanying release OF troops. but
because OF the world approval with
which such step would be met
&. SO far as paying the cost OF the
rehabilitation of Hclgiun is concerned.
the amount involved is very much less
than is popularity supposed. hv far the
greatest financial loss sustained hy the
liclEians having been due To the Brit
iSh sea blockade, which has prevented
all belgian industrial activity.
MADE CONDITION nY POPE
OF HIS OFFERING: ST.Y.ICI:S
Announcements that the restoration OF
Belgium is being considered by Ger
many followed the disclosure that the
Pope has recently made such action n
condition OF his Offering his good offices
for the accomplishment OF peace.
Curionsly enough, this statement was
forthcoming from the british embassy,
which issued the following memo
randum:
~ distinguished Belgian Jesuit.
Father Renusse, lately received by The
Holy Father, has given the following
account OF his audience TO Dutch
chaplain in tho Belgian army on his
retufn:
Tho Pope told mc-and told me to
repeat 1t along tho trenches 10 men and
to officers, and even to the King him
self-that he considers Belgium has
tho right to complete rcpuration from
Germany. and that no Will never con-
sent to offer his good offices for the
ro-cstablishment Of peace unless Bel
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