" The French Government replied that they
were resolved to respect it. The assurance, it was added, had been given
several times, and had formed the subject of conversation between
President Poincare and the King of the Belgians.
The German Chancellor entirely ignores the fact that England took the
same line about Belgian neutrality in 1870 that she has taken now. In
1870 Prince Bismarck, when approached by England on the subject,
admitted and respected the treaty obligations in relation to Belgium.
The British Government stands in 1914 as it stood in 1870; it is Herr
von Bethmann-Hollweg who refused to meet us in 1914 as Prince Bismarck
met us in 1870.
Scandinavian Neutrality.
The Imperial Chancellor finds it strange that Mr. Asquith, in his
Guildhall speech, did not mention the neutrality of the Scandinavian
countries, and suggests that the reason for the omission was some
sinister design on England's part. It is impossible for any public
speaker to cover the whole ground in each speech. The German
Chancellor's reference to Denmark and other Scandinavian countries can
hardly be considered very tactful. With regard to Denmark, the Danes are
not likely to have forgotten the parts played by Prussia and England
respectively in 1863-4, when the Kingdom of Denmark was dismembered.
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