Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-22
THANKS OF BELGIUM CONVEYED TO
0KLAH0MANS BY IMPERIAL MISSION
Full Text of Addresses by
MOncheur Here Yesterday

Expressing the message OF King AL
bert and of Belgium to the people OF
Tulsa. the address delivered at Con-
vention Hall yesterday afternoon by
Baron Ludovig Moncheur. chief OF the
Belgian special mission to the United
States. follows in full:
We have been instructed by our
King to come to America and to eX-
press to the Government of your great
Republic the gratitude OF my Sover-
eign and OF the whole Belgian nation
for your generosity In rclievin,; the
sufferings OF my fellow-countrymen
and also for what you are now toing
To deliver our people from bondage
and to restore liberty to the world.
strictly speaking. our mission was
to deliver this message to your Gov
ernment and through II to all the
people OF the United States. But We
have desired as far as possible TO go
throughout your vast land and to
meet the people who have been so
kind to u.s. and to thank you with our
own lips for all that you have done.
1T Is n special pleasure for us to
he able to come to Tulsa, to express
our gratitude to your citizens. We
should like to go to your capital and
to other cities of the State of Okla
homa; but unfortunately that Is not
possible. Nevertheless, we take this
opportunity of thanking not only the
city of Tulsa but the whole State Of
Oklahoma, for the aid that you have
given and for your sympathy with
the cause of Belgium.
1T would be nard to imagine n
greater contrast in outward appear
ances than that between Belgium and
oklahoma. Here you have vast open
spaces and plenty OF elbow room. Bel
GUM. with territory only fraction
of the size of your state. and with a
population of more than three times
your number Is one OF the most
densely populated countries of the
world. But In spite of this outward
dlssimilarity I'VE have the essential
points In common. Belgium, like Ok
lahoma Is a place of great industry
and activity, but above all Belgium,
like Oklahoma, has that spirit Of
liberty which can never die. Altho SO
far separated by distance. altho so diff
ferent In many things. our hearts beat
in unison and We uphold the same
ideals.
To-day is the anniversary of the
Independence of Belgium as separate
kingdom, and we are glad to have the
opportunity of celebrating that event
in the midst of you people who have
done so much to relieve the suffering
| of my fellow -countrymen, and to en-
courage them to fight on to regain
our liberty and Independence. And
now that Uncle Sam has his hat in the
| ring we know that victory is assured.
II cannot tell you. ladies and gen.
tlemen. how much comfort how much
consolation, how much encourage
mont you have given to the people OF
Belgium. 1t is true that we have suf-
fered. but 1t Is in great cause and
we do not regret the stand we took
If we had done otherwise we could
never have looked your citizens i'm the
face. We are glad to have done our
bit. but we have only done what you
yourselves would have done, what you
have done on many occasions, and
what you are doing now In this great
war.
'If it had not been for America we
would have suffered much more You
all know the unspeakable ills which
have befallen my unfortunate fellow
countrymen-the unprOvoked invas-
ion. accompanied by deliberate
system of terror. the burning of many
of our thriving cities and OF innumer-
able villages. the massacre of thous-
ands of our peaceful citizens, the pill
lage and devastation OF our country.
Enormous war contributions have
been Illegally exacted from all the
nine provinces OF Belgium, ruinous
fines have been laid upon our inhabi-
tants. our raw materials have been
stolen and sent into Germany. our
factories have been dismantled by the
| invaders and the machinery taken
away for his own use.
J Moreover, our civilian population
| those who have escaped the sword
of the oppressor-have been suJ-
| Jected to famine, to maltreatment OF
various sorts. and many of them 20
Illegal Imprisonment and many
thousands Of our workmen have been
seized and sent into slavery.
Some of the crimes deliberately
committed by our enemy are almost
beyond belief. When the German
CONTINUED On FACE THIRTEEN