Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-03-26

leave 10 Iue duLhOIA1
alone the right to practice chastise-
ment which is allowed for pretense
of this sort.")
had a call from Ouang Yong
Pao, who, with one of his Secreta-
ries, Snu TIE, came to me to ask
what the colleagues had decided to
do at the meeting the night before.
l explained and told him that l
would remain in Brussels. He said
he would do as l did. Snu-Tze, the
little secretary, spoke Of the dangers
one might incur at Antwerp, but L
reminded him of his diplomatic eX-
traterritoriality and privileges. He
leaned forward and his face wore Il
curious smile as he said:
"Mais les canons mont pas les
yeux!" C"But cannon haven't
eyes!"O
An incident occurred in those
early days of August that l may as
we'll relate here, though for its Sc
quence shall have to anticipate the
chronology of events.
In the early evening of Saturday,
the eighth of August, there came to
me from DR.. Van Dyke a message
saying that 'he had been asked by
his German colleague at The Hague
to request me to present, on behalf
of the imperial German government,
a message to the Belgian govern
ment. The message OF the imperial
German government was in German
and en- clair M. de Leval translated
it while we waited impatiently. 1t
was this:
''The fortress of Liege has been
taken by assault, after brave de-
Tense. The German government
most deeply regrets that bloody en-
counters should have resulted from
the attitude of the Belgian govern
ment; it is only through the force
of circumstances that she had, ow-
ing to the military measures of
France, to take the grave decision
of entering Belgium and occupying
Liege as a base for further military
operations. Now that the Belgian
army has upheld the honor of its
arms by its heroic resistance to
very superior force, the German gov
eminent begs the king of the Bel
gians and the Belgian government
to spare Belgium the further horrors
of war. The German government
is ready for any compact with Bel
GUM which can be reconciled with
their arrangements with France.
Germany once more gives her sol
emn assurance that it is not her in
tention to appropriate Belgian terri
tory to herself and that such inten-
t. fhnn0hfc
many is still ready to evacuate Bel
GUM as so On as the state of war will
allow her to do So"
NJ. de Leval finished his transla-
ton and handed me the text, stand
ing there with an. inquiry in his
brown eyes while I read it. / was
standing there by Mr.. Gibson's desk
in the room of the secretaries; l
read the dispatch over and over;
looked at Mr.. Gibson, looked at NJ.
de Leval, looked at Miss Larner,
amazed beyond any words. ! stood
there with the telegram in my hand.
I looked at the English and then at
the German words. What hand had
written them? What mentality had
conceived them? Were there after
all in this world no such words as
honor and faith? | let the dispatch
fall to the table, one thing at least
decided, namely, that no such offer
should soil my hands.
But how to manage it? After all
we were charged with the represen-
tation of German interests. And l
began to think about a dispatch to
Washington; ] would point out
what the President and Mr.. Bryan,
of course, must already realize
that this war is but the old struggle
between democracy and autocracy in
the world, and that little Belgium is
Just now holding this Thermopylean
pass for democracy. And I sat down
at Miss Larner's desk and began to
write a dispatch in these terms, try
ing to make the view accord with
our declared neutrality some
what difficult task, as found.
Mr.. Gibson was standing by, still
studying the telegram. After a
while he said:
''There are no cipher groups
here"
"Then, perhaps" I thought, lit is
not authentic"
| thought it over a long while; 1t
was, after all, strange that diploma
cy should send such an amazing pro-
posal en- clair, for all the world to
read. Perhaps one would be justi-
fed in giving the imperial govern
ment the benefit of a doubt that
gentlemen would construe as gener-
Gus. And so, not without certain
reluctance, I tore up the dispatch l
was writing and wrote another tele-
gram to Washington, pointed out
that the remarkable message bore
no cipher groups or other evidence
of authenticity and asking for in
structions. We we're all night put
ting the messages into cipher.
Meanwhile the Belgians were
holding on at Liege and perhaps the
allies were getting up. L told Mr..
Gibson he might tell Leo d'Ursel-i
if he wished to do so-and he did.
Count d'Ursel, he reported, was
much impressed and had run at once
to see Davignon and de Broqueville.
The beautiful dawn was breaking
as | went to bed.
The following morning, Sunday,
tho 9th had q foIpOram from DR.