Evening star., 1919-03-29
BELGIUM ASKS, BUT
D0ESN0T INSIST
Her Position at Peace Table
Is Declared to Be
Dignified.
SEEKS ONLY HER OWN
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN,
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

BRUSSELS, March 12.-When
President Wilson remarked in Paris
that Belgium was good sport he
! was not elegant in expression. but he
was truthful. Belgium has suffered
immensely. She as neutral state
through the inquitous treaty of 1899
was made the high road for incurson
which, were it not for the indomitable
spirit of her people, would have left her
Iprostrate. Today, when European pow
ers are scrdmbling for territory and
Flooding the peace conference with po-
llitical propaga nda and interfering with
progress through verbal diatribe, Bel
gium, who has suffered more than most
and as much as any other country in
the world. has played the reconstruction
game fairly. She has been square.
She has simply presented what she
thinks is right and just to the council of
ten and rested her case with them.
! Belgium has not shown an imperialis-
tic spirit and sent her armies in to oc-
cupy such territories as she believes
necessary to her commercial and eco
nomic we'll being. She has not sought
to antagoniZe neutral or even enemy
countries by her claims She would
abandon her old system of neutrality
and would take her place as world
power ready to stand the consequence or
share the profits of her own doing. She
! has presented her case clearly and logi-
cally. And because of the spirit in which
! she has done it Belgium claims are sure
| to have great weight in the final adjust
ment OF world boundaries.
Belgium's Detailed Claims.
| Concretely put. Belgium. without
imperialistic ideas, is only asking for
such territorial extensions as Belgium
feels her own. BY the treaty of 1889
she. after having some years previous
tablished country by her individual
efforts. was made buffer state
that the old bogey balance of power"
I in Europe nieht be sustained. Euro
pean nations then were afraid of
France. Through this treaty of 1889
she lost certain provinces in Holland,
while other territories went to Ger
many and some were incorporated in
the Duchy of Luxembourg.
Already part of Belgium's requests
have been approved by the council of
those territories which lie on the Ger
man frontier near Verviers, Malmedy.
ST. With and Eupen. which were taken
away from Belgium by Prussia in
1915. These districts always have
shown a sentimental leaning toward
Belgium. though this is stronger
among the older generations of people
who were more in intimate touch
with the ruthless separation with the
little country OF the Scheldt. Restora-
ton of these regions will be much
like the restoration of Alsace and
Lorraine to France.
The settlement of this part of Bel
GUMS claims has been comparatively
easy task for the conferees in Paris
because it has not affected the ter
ritory of any but an enemy. Another
problem has been raised, however. in
the question of the province of Linn
berg and the control of the Scheldt.
These questions must be negotiated
with the allied powers and Belgium
on the one hand and Holland, a neu-
tral, on the other, inasmuch as they
represent separation of a large Dutch
district and it's Incorporation into Bel
gium. Belgium never has been Of
fensive in her claims in regard to
Hollands territory. inasmuch as she
desires these sections for the eco
nomic safety of the country. and as a
consequence it is believed these prob
lens will be settled to the satisfac-
ton of all when the deliberations of
the Dutch. allied and Belgian dele
gates are announced