The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-05
HERR HARDEN DOESN'T
THINK It WAS CLEVER
Pubifcist Takes Issue With Hertimg's
Description Of Belgium as
Pawn.

London. August 4.--When Tert-
ling. the German chancellor descrih-
cd belgium as a pawn, the German
press and the German wireless appear
ed to think he had said something
very clever and had expressed the
truth OF tho situation with singular
felicity and exactness But there is
one German, at least who does not
appreciate that description, and Is, in
deed. furiously angry about it. Herr
Harden, the most caustic as well as
the most truthful of German puhlicists.
dealt with it in the Zukunft of July
so He said;
'@rhe evidence of Herr won Beth
mann. Herr Won Jagow and Herr Won
Bulow. which has not been and can
not be answered. proves that Belgium
has no debt to the German empire and
that Belgium fulfilled her duty to-
ward Germany by whose proposal she
was tralized--Germany which was
under an obligation TO protect Bel
gitsrn by force of arms. Since then it
is the case that Germany committed
a crime against Belgium. Hertiing rs
definition of n pawn simply means that
he does not know that | cannot secure
myself against danger which threat
ems me from a third party by means
of a pawn seized from his friend
that | cannot break into the house Of
n Bavarian prime minister because I
hope there to find security against a
dangerous imperial chancellor.
lie does not know that even when
q pawn has been lawfully obtnined the
holder may not do 1t an irreparable
injury any more than a pawn broker
may cut in pieces a pawned dfa mond"
Harden points out that even If 1t
were true that the Germans found
compromising documents In Brussels
II would not alter the case. In this
connection he says;
When man has murdered Muel-
Ter in order to shoot at Schulze from
Mueiler's house. he cannot claim ac-
dufttal for the murder on the ground
that the police have found letters in
Mueffer's writing table which bring
Mueller under suspicion of an intrigue
with Schultz" He continues that It
In nonsense ST Germany to pretend
she has done Belgium no harm when
every child knows that Germany had
TO take away a mountain OF goods
from Belgium for the relief of her
own population" Finally, Germany's
plain duty toward Belgium as stated
by Harden is as follows:
International law forhftfs the Ger
man empire to keen n single paving
stone of a paved street. and com
rnands Germany to restore the king
dom in the extent, the wealth and
sovereignty which it had before our
troops broke in
IF the right Of might is to pre-
vail we may take what we like by
force and the only question is how
long this force can maintain itself
against everybody else
If International law is to prevail.
Belgium must he compensated with
out any qufbbling for her losses and
her future must be Independent OF
any negotiations with other states IT
must he left to Belgium alone to de-
eide whether she win be vassal. the
area of military concentration or the
economic cornrade of any other state.
She must decide whose friend or
enemy she will he If Belgium Is to
be accused OF assailing the German
empire, then dispose of this enemy
completely But If as has been pro-
claimed In the name OF the German
emperor and of the federal govern
fnents by a German chancellor. sec
rotary Of state and a minister Bel
GUM was the innocent victim OF Ger
man necessity, then we have to beg
her forgiveness and not TO impose con
ditfons on the top of everything else"
Opinion was expressed here that no
one in any OF the allied countries could
have portrayed the true position more
eaAeEix AT na0ra 1natlN