Belgium's rights as sovereign nations, The Hague Conference, in which
forty-four nations (including Germany) participated, reaffirmed as an
axiom of international law the inherent right of a nation to the
sanctity of its territory.

It seems unnecessary to discuss the wanton disregard of these solemn
obligations and protestations, when the present Chancellor of the German
Empire, in his speech to the Reichstag and to the world on Aug. 4, 1914,
frankly admitted that the action of the German military machine in
invading Belgium was a wrong. He said:

"We are now in a state of necessity, and necessity knows no
law. Our troops have occupied Luxemburg and perhaps are
already on Belgian soil. _Gentlemen, that is contrary to the
dictates of international law._ It is true that the French
Government has declared at Brussels that France is willing to
respect the neutrality of Belgium, so long as her opponent
respects it. We knew, however, that France stood ready for
invasion. France could wait, but we could not wait. A French
movement upon our flank upon the lower Rhine might have been
disastrous. So we were compelled to override the just protest
of the Luxemburg and Belgian Governments. _The wrong--I speak
openly--that we are committing_ we will endeavor to make good
as soon as our military goal has been reached. Anybody who is
threatened as we are threatened, and is fighting for his
highest possessions, can only have one thought--how he is to
hack his way through."

This defense is not even a plea of confession and avoidance. It is a
plea of "Guilty" at the bar of the world. It has one merit, that it