It there is any foundation whatever for the amazing story which refugee Belgian political quarters have related to Havas on the subject King Leopold's defection, the perfidy of the man has been established." beyond the per~ adventure of a doubt, From the very commencement he was secking to run with the hare, and hunt with the hounds, That can be the only conclusion to be drawn from the side story which the French news agency has Isgued. King Leopold, it is stated, forbade his Ministers to go to France, and establish per-{zonal contacts, and thus ease ce-operation; he fg alleged to have attempted to establish a strict press censorship, refused to convene Parliament on the invasion of Belgium by the enemy, or to brand the Invaders ina radio broadest as requested by his ministers, while even in his brief messages of "encouragement" to the gallant defenders of Liege and Namur hho was brief to the point of taciturnity. Added fo this is his point blank refusal' to permit formal consultations with French authorities to prepare for Belgian evacuation of threatened areas, and in the eyes of Havas' informants these facts now do spell but one thing, namely, premeditated treachery. His attempt to obtain Signed documents from his ministers—a ministerial signature as well as his own being necessary under the constitution,—showed that hho was preparing to form a puppet government along the best accepted tradition of the German invaders, That was, however, folled when the Premier and the rest of the Cabinet unanimously, and flatly refused to give" their signatures, If King Leopold was prepared Tet down the Allies who had 6 promptly gone to the assistance of Belgium, the Cabinet was not, The advice of the Belgian War Minister was utterly disregarded, and even the last hour endeavours of the Premier to dissuade his sovereign from a course which would, he said, dishonour Belgium, failed. Belgium and the Belgian people have not been dishonoured. The Belgian army fought with almost incredible bravery against an overwhelming enemy, the forts at Liege and Namur were still holding out when the King betrayed his country and his Army, The dishonour is exclusively his, and no matter the eventual outcome of this war he will go down in history as one of the world's major traitors, He went to war halfheartedly, and has got himself out of it in-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.