The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-01-24
BELGIUM KING
WRITES To POPE
REGARDING PEACE
ALBERT PUTS FORTH TERMS ON
WHICH HIS PEOPLE CEASE
FIGHTING.
DEMANDS REP ARATION N
Points Out That Never Line Has Been
Written by the Enemy Clearly Recog-
nizing the Indisputable Rights of the
Belgian Government.

Havre. Jan. 24.-King Albert, in set.
ting forth Belgium's peace terms, in
reply to Pope Benedicts peace note Of
last August, declares that Belgium re-
Qures adequate political, economic and
territorial independence.
The note of the Belgian government
says, in part
"The royal government, as soon as ii
received the message of your holiness
to the heads Of the belligerents, has
tened to reply that it would study with
the greatest Difference the preparations
the document exposed in such elcvating
language.
at the same time, it desired particu-
larly to express its lively and profound
gratitude for the particular interest the
holy father manifested in the Bclgian
nation, and of which the document was
new and precious proof,
AT the outset Of his message, the holy
father took pains to declare he had
forced himself to maintain perfect i'm.
partiality toward all the belligerents,
which renders more significant the judg.
ment of his holiness when he concluded
in favor of the territorial evacuation of
Belgium and the re-establishment of its
full independence and also recognized
the right of Belgium for reparation for
| damages and the cost Of the war.
HOnOrs Its Allies.
"At the beginning of September, the
royal Belgian government informed his
| holiness that it must reserve decision
regarding its action on the propositions
contained in the message until the pow
ers at war with Belgium had clearly
made known their war aims. 1t added
| that in any case, Belgium would make
no pronouncement on general peace
| conditions and the resumption Of in
| ternational relations except in full ac
cord with the powers guaranteeing its
full independence, that have done honor
to their obligations toward her >ant
whose arms fight with hers for the
cause Of the right.
Nothing has modified the situation
that existed at the moment the roya
government made known that point o
view to his holiness.
The integrity Of Belgium, the terri
tory of the mother country and colonies
| political, economic and military indie
pendence without condition or restric
tlon, reparation for damage suffered an,
the guarantees against renewal of tn,
aggression of 1914-such remain the in
dispensable conditions of a just peac,
so far as concerns Belgium. Any set
tlement that would not recognize then
would shake the very foundations o
justice since it would forever more b.
established that in international do
mains, the violation of right create
a claim for its author and may becom
a source of profit.
Germans LurlS in Dark.
"Since the royal government yea
ago formulated its conditions, it permit
itself to charge the reichstag adopte,
resolutions calling peace negotiations
Chancellors and ministers of foreign at
fairs have followed each other in tn
German empire, and more recently il
the central empires, and have publishe,
notes replying TO the message Of hi
holiness, but never a word has beeI
pronounced and never line writer
clearly recognizing the indisputabl
trights of Belgium that his holiness ha
not ceased to recognize and proclaim