Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-03
CONSUL HERE AMAZED
BY SLAP AT BELGIUM
Territorial Claims Just and
Peace Conference Report !
Doubted by Hagemans
SEES HARD FEELING ARISE

F - VAS amazed and nonplussed,"
said Paul Hagemans. Belgian consul
general here. and president of the Phil-
adelphia Consular Association, in refer
ring today to the reports from Paris that
Belgium's territorial claims had been re-
duced by the Peace Conference dele
gates. ti
II cannot possibly believe the re-
port" he said. Doctor Dillon said
few days ago that the Belgian demands
were justified and would be granted byn
the conference. ! am inclined to be-
lleve the accuracy and logic of DoctoFi
Dillon's opinion rather than other rel
ports. J. look to see the statemeDY
repudated \,
Il cannot possibly bring myself. by1
any reasoning, to find any justice in
Such an attitude on the part of the othen
powers represented at the Allied confer =
ehcc. II the news is correct then | can
see no reason for it unless they desire tof
'avor Holland at the expense of Bell
gum. 1t looks to me as though they
desire strong Holland and intend t@I
maintain weak Belgium.
And what was Hollands attituds<
ourlng the, war? Her primary purpose
was to make millions and to trade witHI
Germany at the expense of Belgiuml|
belglum endured what it did for Hol III
lands sake. Had Holland not con
trolied the Scheldt England could havd
come in and saved the day at Antwerpl
Utterly Inconsistent
1T. is utterly inconsistent with thA
protestations and former attitude of thd
Allies. The claims of Belgium are alb y
solutely just and are not open to argu
ment. They are unassailable and I
cannot make myself believe that they
have been refused.
Belgium asks for the territory to
the south bank of the Scheldt river
and for l.imburg, where the populations
are fundamentally Belgian. The Bel
gian simply cannot live with the Hol-
lander. They are of different race,
with different language. They are
backward. we are progressive.
The granting to us of MaImedy. of
all our claims, is only drop in the
bucket-a territory about the size of
Chester county. 1t was the great pow.
ers after the Belgian revolution of 1890
which gave to Holland the territory to,
the south of the Scheldt and half Of
| Limburg
There was a reason for that then,
reason utterly inconsistent with the
ideals for which this war was fought,
namely. to create bulwark against the
democratic development which has
sprung forth in Belgium and to main
| tain the dynastic powers in Europe.
Given Scheldt Territory g
After the treaty of Vienna. con9
I'cuding the Napoleonic wars, the dy-l
nasties were all united for each others
mutual beueft. The kings all stood
with each other. After the Belgian
revolution Holland was given the
Scheldt territory, which. by every right.
was ours, and part of Limburg, which
was for the purpose of placing wedge
into our country to attack Liege if they
desired to do so for the maintenance
of the monarchical powers opposed to
real democratic development. Belgium
was then and is now truly democratic.
Our king, Albert, is the most demo-
cratic man in the world.
''If Belgium's demands are refused
there will be much hard feeling against
the Allied powers, but we will! never
associate ourselves with Germany, no
matter what happens. / am equally
surprised at the failure to allot Bell
GUM the large sums of money which
are necessary to ret establish her det
stroyed country. 1t was promised to
her and she must haveiit. However, /
feel that this side of the question will
be worked out all right,