The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-07
German Official Declares Allies Of
HecrS Tried TO Coerce King
Albert,
HASTN- VISIT OF CERZON
AND HAIG HAD THAT EFFECT
German View Is, Belgium, Bound AS
Well As Germany In Treaty of
Client. Made Violation of Neutrality
Impossible.

Washington. Feb. 6.-Renewed re-
ports that Belgium IS considering con-
GLIDING a separate peace with Ger
many. corroborating news to this ef-
feet; tyyss. spesAs @ga, were, widely als.
cussed today in diplomatic circles.
out of this discussion there came from
an official III close touch with the
German embassy statement which
may be taken to express authoritative
ly the past present and future attt-
tude of the German government re-
garding Belgium The viewpoint of
Berlin. following rapidly changing de-
velopments. may be summarized as
follows:
/. Before the war Germany re-
garded the treaty of Client. by which
the neutrality Of Belgium was guar
anteed by all the sgnatories as bind
ing upon Belgium as upon any of the
guarantors
=. Before the war Germany re-
garded the building of frontier forth
fications facing Germany, the fortify
ing of Antwerp and the maintaining
of a large standing army. all viola
tons of neutrality on the part of Bel
GUM itself.
3. Before the war Germany came
into possession of documentary evil
dence since published. that proved
that Belgium had entered into 4 secret
agreement with Great Britain, by the
terms of which Belgium could count
on British aid in the event of Ger
many's violating her guarantees,
Not Neutrality I'm Fact.
a. Before the war Germany reached
the conclusion that Belgium had thus
( herself abrogated the agreement in
the various instances cited, and that, in
view of these facts, Germany was no
! longer bound to observe a neutrality
which was in fact not neutrality.
5. On the declaration of war, as
explained by the German chancellor
In speech which has been distorted
in allied countries and in the United
States. Germanys contention was in
effect that the invasion OF France was
quite as much violation of previous
ly existing treaties as was the invasion
.of Belgium; but that all declarations
of war are violations of such treaties,
obviously.
6. On the declaration OF war
Belgium received the pledges of Ger
many that passage of German troops
through her territory would not mean
occupation of that territory. but was
met with armed resistance, and thus
quite as much as with France
7. In the early days OF the war 1t
was unquestionahly this armed resist
ance by Belgium, in the opinion of
the German government, which led to
the failure of the original plans of
the German general staff and prevent
ed speedy victory over the French.
s. Although the original German
plans never included any idea of &C.
cupylng any part OF Belgium, there
was period in which certain coun-
sellors advocated permanent occupa-
tion of that country. bastng their argu-
ments on the indisputable fact OF Bel
glan resistance and It's corrollary that
to the yictors belong the spoiis.
Would Make Peace Sure.
0. At the present time these coun-
sells have been overcome by others OF
a far shrewder kind-counseis which
advocate restoring Belgium and thus
making peace not only possible. but
sure, unless the allies wish to face the
world with an admission that their
original, loudly proclaimed motives for