The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-12
Niles REPLY RECEIVED
Declares Worlds Peace Not
Possible Under Pres
ent Conditions.
tcontinued FROM Page ons.,

1 \~~sssAAWOO = AVAAA 1O80 O1AVbY
as upon territorial conventions ana in
ternational agreements suitable to
guarantee territorial and maritime
frontiers, against unjustificd attacks:
| the restitution of provinces or terri
tories wrcsted in the past from the
allies by force or against the will Of
their populations; the liberation Of
Italians. of Slavs. of Rumanians and
Of Tcheco Slovaques from foreign
nominations; the Acknowledgement Of
| populations subject to the bloody tyr
| amy OF the Turks; the expulsion from
| Europe Of the Ottoman empire. which
has proved itself SO radically alien TO
western civilization. The Intentions of
his majesty. the emperor Of Russia.
regarding Poland have been clearly
| indicated In the proclamation. which,
he has Just addressed to his armies.
1t goes without saying that IL the al
| lies wish to liberate Europe from the
| brutal covctousness Of Pfrlssian mill
| tarism, 1t never has been their design,
| as has been alleged, to encompass the
determination of the German peoples
and their political disappearance. That
| which they desire above all is to in
| sure n peace upon the principles OF
| liberty and justice, upon the inviolablc
fidelity of international obligation
with which the government OF the
| United states has never ceased to be
| inspired.
United in the pursuits OF this SUI
preme object. the allies are deter
mined, individually and collectively, to
act with all their power and to con-
sent to all sacrifices to bring to a Wig
orous close a conflict upon which they
are convinced not only their own
safety and prosperity depends, but also
the future of civilization itself.
The translation of the Belgian note,
! which was handed to Ambassador
Sharp with the entente reply follows
The Belgian Answer.
The government of the king. which
has associated itself with the answer
handed by the president Of the French
council to the American ambassador
| on behalf OF all, is particularly DESTROYS
| of paying tribute to the sentiment OF
humanity which prompted the prcsi-
| dent OF the United states to send his
note to the bclligcrcnt powers and it
| highly Cstccms the friendship OK
! pressed for Belgium through his kind
| ~ INTERPRETATION. 1t desires as much
| rs Mr.. Wilson to sec the present war
| ended as early as possible.
| p,,t ~. ,,r.v;1n,t .anp,. o., b,l;,,,
| that the statement of the two opposing
camps pursue the same objects of war
| The example of Belgium unfortunately
| demonstrates that this Is in no wise
the fact. Belgium has never. like the
! central powers, aimed at conuucsts.
The barbarous fashion in which the
German government has treated. and
| is still treating. the Belgian nation.
| does not permit the supposition that
| Germany will pre- occupy herself with
| guaranteeing in the future the rights
| OF the weak nations. which she has
not ceased to tramplc under foot since
| the war, let loose by her. began TO
| dcsolatc Europe. On the other hand.
| the government Of the king has noted
| with pleasure and with confidence the
assurances that the United States is
! impatient to CO. cooperate in the meas
| urcs which will be taken after the con-
clusion OF peace to protect and guar
| antcc the small nations against vio-
lcnce and oppression.
| Neutrality Violated.
| Previous to the German ultimatum
Belgium only aspired to live upon good
terms with all her ncighbors. she prac-
ticcd with scrupulous loyalty toward
each one OF them the duties imposed
by her neutrality. In the same man
| ncr she has been rewarded by Ger
| many for the confidence she placed in
her. through which from one day to
the other. without any plausible rcn-
| son, her neutrality was violated and
the chancellor OF the empire when an
nouncing to the reichstag this viola
| ton Of right and OF treaties, was
obliged to recognize the incquity OF
such an act and prcdeterminc that 1t
would be repaired. But the Germans,
after the occupation OF Belgian terri
tory have displayed no better observ-
ance Of the rules of international law
or the stipulations of The Hague con-
vcntion. They have. by. taxation as
heavy as 1t Is arbitrary, drained the
resources of the country: they have
Intentionally ruined it's industries, de-