Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-04-06

irresponsible government, which, having
secretly planned to dominate the world,
P rsSsSe either &c c1 70 the out sacred ses p'a obr %;ahO%s
Of treaty or the long -establIshed prac-
tees and long cherished principles Of In.
ternational action and honor; &. This
power is not the German people. 1t Is
the ruthless master of the German peo-
pie. It Is our business to see to
IL that the history Of the rest Of the
President Wilson, August 81, 1917.
WE FIGHT FOR GOOD FAITH
"The faith of treaties is the only
solid foundation on which a Temple
of Peace can be built up" (James
Bryce.) Good faith between nations,
as betUeen men, is the one and only
safeguard from a return to barbarism.
Without 1t brute force, sheer might,
must rule. Without it there is no
security in human relationship Sc
curity, even, for life itself. To keep
ones word, when me given, that is
the evidence Of the progress of CIV
ilization, and the test Of it.
Hence the case of Belgium becomes
the single greatest German offense
against civilization in this war. At
first, in our American ignorance of
world conditions, we did not see this.
W. do see it now; more and more we
realize that until the crime against
Belgium is atoned for, there can be
no peace, and no hope of a world
at peace.
What the the facts? By treaties
! cionod In 1Q16 oud aoain IN 1901 aud
still again in 1889, this last revision
being in effect in 1914, it was agreed
Belgium shall form a perpetualIy
neutral state. The five powers guar
antee to it this perpetual neutrality,
as also the inviolability of its ter
ritory." These five powers were Aus
tria, France, Great Britain, Russia,
and Prussia. By such treaties the
neutral state was pledged to defend
in arms the neutrality of its terri
tory; and each of the great powers
! pledged itself not only not to march
troops into or through the neutral
state, but also to aid her, In case
her territory were violated.
The world, thinking no nation so
base as to break its word, was COM
pletely taken by surprise by the at
tack on Belgium. But we know now,
from German statements, that German
military plans had for years intended
to break this pledge. German rulers
lied as to this consistently, and lied
up to the last day. On the morning
before the German troops advanced,
the German minister assured Belgium
she need feel no alarm, and in the
evening of that same day he delivered
his ultimatum.
The world has never seen so com.
plete a denial of the binding effect
Of the pledged word. Why has Ger
many so lost sight of the principle
of honor among nations? Her own
answer reveals the cause; it is again
the plea Of might. "The fate that Bel.
GUM has called down upon herself
(note the hypocrisy of this) is hard,
but not too hard, for the
destinies of the immortal great ma.
tons stand so high that they can
not but have the right, in case of
5ACChy " oil OfCl OAiolCLIIC0 that
can not defend themselves" (Pro-
fessor Oncken.) When the British
Minister at Berlin notified the Ger
man Chancellor that Great Britain
was IN honor bound to defend Bel
gums neutrality, the latter argued
that this was Terrible" a war Gust
for a word-'neutrality'--just for a
scrap of paper" The pitifaI-yes, the
terrible-SignifcGnce of such utter.
GnceS, is that Germans belieUe them
justified.
"If l am asked what we are fight
ing for" said Prime Minister AS
quith, II can reply in two sentences.
In the first place, to fulfill an obliga-
ton not only Of law, but of
honor, which no s-elf-respecting man
could possibly have repudiated; sec.
ondly, to vindicate the principle !.
that small natfonaIities are not to be
crushed, in defiance of International
good faith"
America was not a direct guarantor, :
like Great Britain, of the neutrality
Of Belgium, though in various con-
ventions (of which Germany also was
q signer) we pledged to the main
tenance Of the world principle of good
faith" But every nation was attacked
when Germany broke faith. "The law
protecting Belgium which was vio-l
lated was our law and the law of
every other civilized country. I'll
was our safeguard against the neces.
sity of maintaining great ornaments.
Our interest in hGUiRg it maiptdsnedl
as the IGU of nations cas- a sHbstdn-
tiGI, palEdble, permanent Interest"
(Elfhu Root.)
In the hope of an enduring peace. in
the hope of an advancing civilization,
we can not forget Belgium. In the
hope for unmolested acknowledgment,
In the sense of our own security nee
essary to progress, we mast not forget
Belgium, until her wrongs are righted.
]
This Is the seventh of a series OF
ten articles BY Professor Adams.
on Monday, and the eggs were laid by
a HAL lrsnoroo bou On Traadu-, /