n the German frontier, whereas that fortress is
situated near the frontier of France. There are three fortresses in
Belgium--Antwerp, Liege, and Namur. Antwerp is in the north, Liege in
the east, and Namur in the south. Namur, being near the French
frontier, could menace Germany only in case the Germans should have
penetrated about one-third of Belgium. It is, in fact, a fortress
against France.

Nothing has been brought forward to show that, if Germany had not
invaded Belgium, France or England would have done so. The exact
contrary is clearly indicated by the documents.

Dr. B. Dernburg cites a decision of the Supreme Court of the United
States and attempts to apply it to the case of Germany's violation of
Belgian neutrality and to justify Germany by the law of necessity. The
example chosen (the Chinese question) does not involve massacres,
bombardments, nor the burning of towns. It is not an analogous case.
The following would be a closer analogy to Germany's action in regard
to Belgium: A man pretending that he has been attacked in the street
by a powerful enemy, claims that he is justified in killing an
innocent person, if by doing so he can gain an advantage over his
adversary.

It would be difficult for any one to produce a decision of the Supreme
Court justifying a crime on the plea that the perpetration of the
crime was advantageous to the culprit who committed it.

When a nation has to resort to such arguments to defend its actions it
must realize that its case is desperate.

Germany has converted smiling and peaceful Belgium into a land of
sorrow, of mourning, and of ruins. There is not a family that does not
mourn one of its dear ones. In the face of the indignation which has
aroused the world, Germany, today, endeavors to refute the accusation
which rises against her from so many tombs, and she endeavors to throw
upon the innocent the terrible responsibility of her own crimes.

It is not probable that this course of action will win back to Germany
the sympathy which she has lost throughout the world.

The foregoing documents show clearly that Belgium had made no
agreement with England for attacking Germany, nor even an agreement
for British military defense of Belgian neutrality.

[Having replied to the representations made in the German
indictment drawn by Dr. Dernburg, the Belgian authorities
proceeded to compile a pamphlet, the contents of which are
reproduced on the followi