The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-09-29
Continued from Page One.

of Havre, in the Villa Hollandais,
a rustic chalet occupied in ordinary
times by seashore visitors, but no"
hearing on the outer gate smaii
nlscard reading: MINISTER'S des Al
fairies Estrangeres de Belgique.
foreign office usually suggests mar
HE halls and big diplomatic rooms,
with ambassadors sitting among OH
paintings and mahogany furnishings.
But the Villa Hollandais has nothlhS
of this kind. Three small pine stru"-
lures have been put up IN the garueh
for various diplomatic and consular
branches. Inside the villa there is
the simplicity of a summer cottage,
but everything is scrupulously Well
done and effective.
Baron Beyens expressed at the
outset the deep sense of appreciation
felt by Belgium toward the people OF
the United States, and, in particular,
toward those who had directed the
work of sending food-supplles TO
Belgium. 81 am always glad TO meet
an American" said he, land TO eX-
press my gratitude to your people In
general and to those who have lit
orally saved our people from starva-
ton. It. is difficult for me to say
how much we feel indebted to Mr.
Hoover, head of the committee dl-
recting the relief work OF Belgium
He has proved himself a man OF
great resource and great ability in
the gigantic task of providing for g
whole nation which found itself sud
denly threatened with starvation or
at least with cruel privation. 1t was
a task, moreover requiring much dip
lomatic tact as well as business
knowledge, for the relief committee
was obliged to deal between the Ger
man officials on the one hand and
the allied official on the other. But
at all times this has been accom-
plished with infinite skill; obstacles
which seemed at times insurmount-
able have been overcome, and prac-
teal results have been realized which
are of the highest Importance to Bel
GUM and the Belgian people.
Minister at Brussels.
1.-THE American minister at Brussels
Mr.. Brand Whitlock, has also wor
our unbounded admiration and re-
spect in performing a work Of colos-
sal magnitude under most trying
conditions. Remaining at Brussels
while the government was constrain
ed by circumstances to establish it.
self temporarily outside Of Belgium
the American minister has been
with his courageous Spanish col
league, the bulwark between our cit
irip in, hn
gions and the German military ant
civil authorities temporarily in con
troll Outside of the horrors ant
atrocities of war which have beef
committed, the ordinary administra
ton of civil affairs has been carried
out with an iron hand and with rig
orous harshness. In all this, Min
lister Whitlock has stood between on
people and the rigors of the German
military administration, and sucl
lenience as we have received ha
come largely through his energeti
and discrete Intervention.
But" added the minister, 9Th
names of Americans who have show
this good will toward Belgium il
very practical ways is almost unlim
church at Paris, and Mrs. Watson
Mr.. Bliss, the American Charge DAT
flares at Paris, and his wife, Mrs
Wharton, the well-known America
writer and many, very many, Others
To all of them Belgium is deepl
thankful" Turning now to interna
tional affairs, in which he had take
such an active part at the debut G
the war, Baron Beyens went on:
I'VE had every reason to renal
at peace with Germany. Belgium ha
no hostility to Germany. We ha
many Germans among us, as 20
have in America, and many of GU
people spoke the German Language
A spirit of good-feeling and of con
fidence prevailed, so far as we wer
concerned. / have reason to kno'
this as | was minister at Berlin u
to the opening of the war, and ha
opportunity to observe the mutus
relations existing.
No Secret Treaty.
Germany has sought to spread tn
legend that Belgium had a secre
treaty with England relating to Ant
werp. But that is false. There
no such treaty, and never was sue
a treaty. Certainly if such a docu
ment existed, I would know of i
and l affirm to you, on my homo
that it does not exist No, the leg
end of the secret treaty is pun
invention set up to justify, in til
eyes of the world, the crime again.
Belgium.
I'm refusing the demand of Gel
many to cross Belgium, we wei
simply performing a duty. We wei
bound to act toward our Germa
neighbor to the east just as W
would have done toward our FrenC
neighbor to the west, for our dut
and all our interests tended to MAR
tain the same attitude toward II
powerful neighbors on our two fro1
tiers. Suppose France had been IL
one to ask the right to cross Be
GUM and to attack Germany. v
would have been bound to refuse !
And had such a demand ever bee
made, and ever have been granite
what would Germany have said?
would have denounced us as viola
ers of a treaty, and as false and di
honorable. Doubtless the world wou
have agreed with this view, had Be
gium taken such course