El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-13
GERMANY MUST
BEND THE KNEE
Great Belgian Poet Says
That Is Only Peace Bel
GUM Can Have.
By MAURICE 1IAETEBLINCK,
tThe Great Belgian Poet.l

NAuE NreaN neAA AAu ANfNsN
/ Paris. France, June 13.-What must
I be the Belgian Peace
When with the help Of our allies
the final victory IS won and Of that
victory Z am absolutely convinced
The barrier OF the Rhine must be re-
[ established in favor Of Belgium Only
then VIII justice be done 10 US. That
must be the basis OF the Belgian
peace.
But we do not propose the auneZa-
lion, or rather the CisanncNa ton. OF
all that was primitive Bels lunl,
though you may take as fact that
there are iu these territories about
/ 1900. 900 Belgiaus, WaIloOns and Lux
embourgeOis, who, though OF Belgian
stock. have been perforce Germans
ever since the Vienna treaty or $50
10 WAS that terrible treaty Of Vienna
which was the death Of BelgI UNI. But
an autonomous buffer state should De
created extending from the present
Belgian frontier 10 the Rhine The
Aeuse does not suffice MS as ma
the two pivots OF our resistance 20
the German aggression are made
Quate And Antwrep cannot exist
without the Escaut. Hollaul-a1d
Holland which has long. been SUB ser
Went 10 Germany-domlnates both ITS
banks, the population OF which are.
however. on either side Flemish and
Belgian. and not Dutch
Difference In Races.
You ask me how ! would define the
difference between the Fleming and
the Hollander. The Fleming is the
Dutchmuu Of the south, with many or
the same qualities that distlu- lisl
the 1Teridional Frenchman from the
Frenchman Of the north. more easy
going. OF brighter and more genial
spirit The French revolution united
him 10 the Dutchman proper, who ty-
rannized over him then
The Dutchman viii sQueaL Of
course. az losing the EscauL but he
VIII find his compensation In Ger
many.
II is not 90 the military strategists
that the question OF BelElums futurt
frontiers should he Ieft for settle
meuL q great European as well as
national problem is involved Bel
Eium must be restored, not only tn
The material sense with which the
pacitists are fIpp1utly content. but
terrltorially, so that she VIII be
strong enough 20 throw off the burden I
OF neutrality. which has ever been her
greatest misfortune She must be re-
vlvcd as an independent nation, really .
ndependeut-that is 10 say capable .
OF making any treaties she thinks
Cause OF Downfall.
The value Of the treaties that were I
made for her we have learned only Z
100 bitterly 20 estimate. 10 was Bel .
gums neutrality that was the im- .
mediate cause OF her downfall.
According 20 her population she j
ought 90 have had an army OF 40 i
least 100000 men (and had she had 4
tempted 10 walk over herI. but, trust Z
ing 10 her neutrality she conteuted D
herself with 10000 20 200. 600 men.
and Parliament constantly refused ad- ]
diuonal army credits. though Gen
Brialmont, the designer o. her forts.
confessed himself unable 20 defend I
them with the insufficient men and p
material at his disposition And so
IL was that up TO the battle Of the
User 50. 000 just half Of these 10000 4
resistance-a massacre or the iuno-
cent
BeIEium's Economic Future.
Then there is the question OF Bel
GUMS economic future II free trade
is TO be reestablished. Belgium's eco
uomlc fund will be irretr-evably
ruined Germany has systematically
destroyed her entire Industrial situa-
tion. Belgium must be granted fav-
CRADLE commercial treaties with her
allies. They must place her under
their tut0rshlp like a child who has
sacrificed itself for them They must
on her behalf a custom union +
gainst Germany and protect her ef-
fectualy. otherwise Germany. with
her infinitely greater commercial IA
-iiiues win overrun Belgium and shut
her of from an her markets.
Covets No German Colony
Then her last state VIII be even
worse than her present one Bel
gium rs not interested in increasing
her colonial possessions She does not
covet those OF Germany. But Of all
the belllgerents she has The first
claim on a humping indemnity for
her losses. both moral and material
For she was least concerned in the s
war Most OF the other nations we're
concerns England, indeed,
and America responded with the Ut
most generosity 20 the call Of honor.
and they viii meet with their due b
-ecompense, for all Of US are fighting
equally for humanity in real spirit
1f liberty and in obedience 10 that
obscure Instinct common 20 both
peoples and IN individuals which en-
lbles them 10 forsee when their own
tate is concerned And let 90 not be
any lack OF unanimity among Belgians
rs 20 what should be the future OF the ,
country after the war.
The s'FIemish Movement
The so called Flemish movement
s wholly inspired and paid for by
he Germans, and meets with no en-
enlargement whatever from the mass Q
II the people. either iu Flemish or 2
.
lu Independent Flanders are, in D &
Brussels, a lawyer without clients, a j
Ioct0r who was so entirely different I 2
md without patients before the war
hat he was reduced 20 selling cigars.
md two or three clerks out OF work.
Their audiences are made I'D OF
-Oughs 20 the number OF 500 az the c
Utmost. who receive from 5 20 10 !
rancs per head from the German a
What is that but an in- Z
iEnificant drop in the 100000 popu- +
alton OF Brussels In Antwerp the
proportion Is the same II there was
.t one time a certain rivalry between
he Flemish and the French speaking
80 practically died out I
.efore the war. and Belgium s disas- a
ers have now united her children On a
ne unsuitable determination 20 fight e
O the victorious end for the recon n
titution Of their beloved country Ia o.
onditions which viii secure the real
.ational independence and unity by
which alone her liberty and honor