t saw the guarantee for Belgium in The Hague Convention.
He did not wish to offend Belgium by announcing to the world that she
had lost her rights as a neutral because of her acts favorable to
France, for when he spoke he was still of the opinion that she would
accept the German offer which guaranteed to her both her independence
and integrity.

And just as Servia would have accepted Austria's note if Russia had
permitted her, so Belgium would not have resisted the German demand if
it had not been for England.

This can be proved by the British "White Paper," Nos. 153 and 155. In
the former the King of the Belgians appeals "to the diplomatic
intervention of your Majesty's Government to safeguard the integrity of
Belgium," being apparently of the impression that Germany wished to
annex parts, if not the whole, of his country. The London reply advises
the Belgians "to resist by any means in their power, and that his
Majesty's Government will support them in offering such resistance, and
that his Majesty's Government in this event are prepared to join Russia
and France, if desired, in offering to the Belgian Government at once
common action for the purpose of resisting use of force by Germany
against them, and a guarantee to maintain their independence and
integrity in future years."

Has Mr. Beck really not noticed in this promise the omission of the word
neutrality? By the Treaty of 1839 Belgium enjoyed not only independence
and integrity, but also perpetual neutrality. Does Great Britain offer
to fight Germany for the enforcement of the Treaty of 1839? No! Because
hereafter the word neutrality is dropped from her guarantee, and since
she alone of all the great powers has not ratified the articles of The
Hague Convention concerning neutrals she alone will be able to disregard
the inviolability of Belgian soil, even though Belgium kept strictly
neutral in a future war.

And what, finally, does she guarantee her? Independence and integrity!
That is exactly the same that Germany had promised her. For this Belgium
had to be dragged through the horrors of war, and the good name of
Germany as that of an honest nation had to be dragged through the mire,
and hatred and murder had to be started, that Belgium might get on the
battlefield, from the insufficient support of Russia and France and
England, what Germany had freely offered her--independence and
integrity.

Casual readers would not miss the word neutrality from Sir