ANNEXING BELGIUM

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 86, 9 October 1915, Page 9

ANNEXING BELGIUM

(■5 «•• KAISER'S FRIENDS PROTEST The New York World published on 17th August a despatch from Karl H. yon Wiegand, its special staff correspondent in Germany, discussing the dispute in Germany regarding the annexation of Belgium, and the possibility of the Kaiser himself, Chancellor yon Beth-mann-Hollweg, and Foreign Minister yon Jagow are opposed to annexation. He gave the text of a memorial submitted to the Chancellor protesting against the annexation agitation. This petition is known a* the Del-brueck-Dernburg-Wolf memorial, from the names of the three men who bad the chief part in preparing it. Much significance is attached to it, not alone from the character of some of the signatories several of whom are personal friends of the Kaiser or" yon Bethmann-Hollweg, or both, but from the fact that it was prepared and presented soon after a visit by Delbrueck to headquarters in the east. The memorial has 82 signatures. Among these are those of Professor Hans Delbrueck, Dr. Bernhard Dernburg (Privy Councillor), Professor Adolf yon Harnack, Prince yon Hatzfeldt, Prince Henkel Donnensmarck, ex-Minister Baron yon Berlepscli, Count yon Arco, ex-Am-bassador Count yon Leyden, Franz yon Mendelssohn (president of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce), Albert > yon Wetzler (an influential Frankfort banker), ex-Ambassador Count yon Montz, Dr. Oppenheim (Government Councillor and director of the corporation which controls the aniline factories), . Major yon Parseval (of airship fame), Car] Permet (Judge of the Berlin Commercial Courts), Theodore Wolf > (editor-in-chief of the Berliner Tageblatt). Dr. August Stein (chief political editor of the Frankfort Gazette), and more than a score of leading German professors. It is necessary to consider the personal rather than the official relation of the several signators to the Government. Delbrueck is one of the best-known liberal intellectuaJists in Germany, and on« of Che leading historical and political writers, who, although very Independent, is close to the Government. Dr. Dernburg, ex-Minister, has been regarded in America as Germany's chief propagandist, and since his return has certainly been in the closest touch with the Government, and through his frequent conferences must know something about its wishes regarding Belgium. There is every reason to assume that he has impressed on the Government the neutral world's views in general and America's in particular on Belgium, and what long years of antagonistic attitude of those countries might 'mean to Germany after the war. Those in a position to know tell me that Dr. Dernburg's views are discernible all through the memorial. Professor yon Harnack, the head of Berlin's magnificent library, the opening of which was attended by the Kaiser personally, is a special favourite of the Kaiser, and there is reason to assume that he knows something of the Kaiser's views. Prince yon Hatzfeldt, as Duke of Trachenberg, is one of the only four non-reigning dukes in Germany, and a member of the Kaiser's Court. ONE OF THE RICHEST IN GERMANY. Prince Donnersmarck, who celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday a few days ago, vies with the Kaiser for the place of being the richest man in Germany. Sis wealth was estimated before the war at between 60,000,000 dollars and 70,000,000 dollars.. He was the first Governor of Lorraine, appointed during the FrancoPrussian war to rule the newly-conquered province. The significance of his signature to this memorial lies chiefly in that his experiences then and observation since of trying to assimilate foreign elements have made him advocate an. anti-annexation policy. In some quarters also, Donnersmarck is regarded as an opponent of the influences of the Krupp interests. His second wife, a most beautiful Russian, works unceasingly in the magnificent hospital equipped by Prince Donnersmarck and his son, Count Donnersmarck, a young giant of six feet four, who is in the Red Cross instead of at the front because he has been blind a long time from overstudy, and his eyesight is only partly restored. The young Count and his wife have the entire Adlon Hotel. ' WOLF'S INFLUENCE GREAT. No political editorials attract more attention in Germany than those beginning with the initials "T.W." As chief of the much-read Liberal Berliner Tageblatt, Theodore Wolf exerts great influence with the public. Despite the attacks the Tageblatt in past years has made upon Chancellor yon BethmannHollweg, and often has opposed his policy, Herr Wolf for some time has been on terms of intimate friendship with the Chancellor. ■ Dr. Stein is in the closest touch with the Foreign Office, and his signature to the anti-annexation memorial can be said to represent the views of the powerful Frankfort Gazette, in contradistinction to the press and most powerful industrial interests in Westphalia and the Lower Rhine country, -which are for the annexation of Belgium. From the marine side, the memorial has only one signature, that of Admiral yon Truppel, former Governor of Kiaochow, whose recent article urging that it was senseless to go to war with America over the Lusitania, if it could ■ in any way be honourably avoided, and that there was a disposition to underestimate what it would mean to Germany to go war with, the United States, caused somewhat of a sensation. Admiral yon Truppel was my travelling companion to New York and back last year. He is a man of thorough knowledge of the world and very liberal political ideas, but I would consider it erroneous to draw the inference that his signature to the memorial had anything to do with the views of Admiral yon Tirpitz on the question of Belgium. YON MONTZ'S ATTITUDE. Count yon Montz, formerly Ambassador to Rome, is an avowed antagonist to the idea of annexing Belgium. In several talks I had with him in May in Vienna he expressed the opinion that, the question of Belgium once settled, - providing restoration could be agreed upon, the war soon could be brought to an end. He advocated ceding the Congo to Germany as part compensation for giving up Belgium. < The memorial is a protest and counterpetition to the .memorial presented to the Chancellor by the six greatest and most powerful economic organisations in Germany, practically demanding in as many words that Belgium and a portion of France be annexed. The two represent the ideas and aspirations of two schools of political thought developing in far apart, each struggling for supremacy, assuming Germany ultimately victorious, each endeavouring to capture the people for their particular political idea. Their importance lies in their bearing on a possible basis for peace.