A PICTURESQUE KING

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 219, 12 April 1933, Page 8

A PICTURESQUE KING

The Ambitions oi Leopold 11. of Belgium WHAT THE KAISER OFFERED HIM As a young man the late King Leopold 11. picked up a stone among Lie mins of the Acropolis, engraved upon it the words, “Belgium must have a colony,” and presented it to the Minister of Finance. This idea remained predominant in his mind throughout his reign. Having failed to negotiate the purchase of the Philippines from Spain, he turned towards Africa. His chance came when Stanley, disgusted at Britain’s refusal to exploit his African discoveries', placed his services at Leopold s disposal. But Belgium was not so farseeing as her monarch; Parliament authorised him to accept the sovereignty of the Congo State only on condition that Belgium should not he responsible for its government or finance.

Leopold,, however, had the courage of his convictions. By 1890 he had sunk over 19 million francs of his own money into the venture. He established administrative and judicial systems, civil and penal codes. Yet when by “Will” he made ovei the colony to Belgium, it was only after lengthy debates that Parliament consented to assume responsibility for what has since proved a valuable possession. The King is popularly remembered as a picturesque old man with an enormous beard and a limp, whose love affairs made good “copy,” whose Congo exploits were violently attacked by Roger Casement, and whose harsh treatment of his daughter caused great scandal; but. as Comte de Licittervelde demonstrates in “Leopold of the Belgians,” he was something more than that. From the outset he was convinced that Belgium would have to defend aer neutrality and laboured to improve the military defences. ' In the light of subsequent events it is interesting to learn that so long ago as 1866 he was demanding, “Will England cease to be neutral the day Belgium is seriously menaced : England would not answer. Always he regarded Germany as the danger—more so that ever after 1904. when the Kaiser said to him: “in the formidable struggle which will take place, Germany is certain of victory, but this time you will be obliged to choose. You will have to be with us, I shall give you the Flemish provinces that France took from you. Think of what I offer you and what you may expect.” What would have happened in 1914 if this bait had tempted Belgium to throw in her lot with Germany?

Leopold was a hard man. One day he had displayed displeasure because the Minister of Justice submitted for his signature too great a n,umber of pardons. When the chief of this department presented to him the functionary in charge of the pardon service, the King Unit his brows. “Long live the murderers, monsieur,” he cried. “Long live the murderers, all at liberty.” Yet he could feel deeply, When, during a walk, a courtier remarked, “The King is fortunate,” Leopold stopped abruptly. In a voice thick with emotion he said, “Lucky? I? I lost my son!”