P. r.+ JW. — le-
ELLIOTT ELLIOTT
OPTICIANS 6pplLlY John fllW m,?,r Ex-.RvAsl Bros Sludeal T.1.
87989
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•R•CO•D • PERTH, WEDNESDAY,BEPTEMBER 19, 194b.
NO. 9,198.
PME TKREZPENOZ.
ELLIO OTT ELLIOTT OPTICIANS Piccadilly Arcade Perth Tel. B7988
BZVZZM43ZOOND YEAR.
Newspapers ' Created Artificial Fuss About Belgium 90 Per Cent of Flemings Are For the King 1
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Parties of Left , Aim to Precipitate Political Crisis Disruptive Minority Fears Election or Referendum tFrom a Correspondent Lately in Brussels.)
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glum. The party caucuses of the Communist and Socialist Parties in the rump of a Parliament elected before the war, when, of course, nobody thought of attacking the monarch, have forced the pace, and the majority of the Liberal executive committee have joined them. It is highly doubtful how many of the local sections of the Socialist Party in Flanders support the reckless decision of their leaders. The Catholic Party politicians, no very brilliant team, divided by the old feud between the adherents of the Belgian Government in London and the ma• the main centres of disaffection. In jority who remained with the King in Bruges, where I spent a week-end in Belgium, are only imperfectly in a working-class suburb, this window touch with the vigorous new Catholic display was a veritable plebiscite: in life which the moral and material hardthe poorest streets it .was difficult to ships of the war have produced.* It is find a cottage window in which there however, they and their press, notably was not the familiar portrait with the "Le Quotidien" and " La Libre Belgilegend " Wij einschen de Koning que," that are most vocal in defending terug 1 "—" We want the King back 1 " the democratic principle and insisting It would be a mistake, however, to that the peope should be consulted in assert that the good people of Flanders so grave an issue; but that is precisely are absorbed with the crisis of the monwhat the King's enemies seem mcst archv to the exclusion of other inter RING LEOPOLD. anxious to avoid. One argument, seriests. They are a diligent, undemonously repeated to me by an En,lsn strative lot, heartily tired, as I bediplomatic official, is that in an election getting home practically all the surlieve are most of their French-speakor referendum "all the fascists" would vivor< of the 220,(W Belgians whom ing compatriots also, of civil strife, rally to the King's side; and, of course. the enemy had removed, except about politics and crises: they are just pullall but the manual workers ( of whom a tenth of them, who remain in Rusing through, after all the trials of the 54,00( 1volunteered early in the war to sian hands. The haggard appearance war and a terrible winter, to a state of work in Germany) are " fascists,'' if of the political prisoners and their reasonable prosperity and employment, they carried on with their duties or accounts of the incredible cruelties of and they do not want to be disturbed. their businesses. Another argument is the concentration camps have. horrified Loyalty to the King has been with that the electoral registers are out of their families and friends. A cousin them, as it is with Englishmen, more date. The main Catholic objection to of my hostess in Brussels learnt, ten a habit than an enthusiasm, and they these registers is that all the women days ago, of the death of three of her can hardly bring themselves to believe of Belgium are excluded from voting. four sons in captivity. Every day that those crazy politicians in BrusBut if a general consultation of the brings the black-bordered "lettres de tcN really mean to prevent the King's whole people were really desired, it faire part;" day after day the sad Rereturn, or can succeed in driving him would be perfectly easy to use the raquiem :Masses have succeeded one anfrom the throne. Some are beginning tion cards of all men and women over other in the parish churches. I was to get thoroughly tired of the whole twenty-One, as the basis of a poll. present at an intensely moving cerebusiness; and that is what the ComBut, according to M. Paul Struve, mony at Bruges, when the whole parmunist and Socialist leaders have most the distinguished lawyer, who is a legdish turned out to welcome the return. to fear. For it is they who have gone er-writer in "La Libre Belgique," " to ed prisoners, and -to conduct them, atout of their wav to create the crisis; enable the people to judge the issue tended by solemn little girls with bas. it is they who have opened the offenfairly and express their opinion is exkets of flowers, to the door of the sive against the accepted order of actly what the 'Government 'does not church, where the " Mijnbeer Pastoor" things: it is they ( as they admit themwant." Ile writes: and his curates came forward in their selves) who are deliberately wrecking "It is in advance of any normal exvestments to embrace them and lead the slow economic recovery of the pression of the national will that they them in to High Mass. Thereafter cnuntry for political ends, against the want to force the King to abdicate. loud speakers rent the air with what, -interests of the very popular British Thus the country would be confronted I suppose, was music; there was much Army, whose lines of communication with a " fait accompli." Irresponsible drinking and merriment in all the pass through Belgium and who procafes, and we ended the day with a elements, representing by all appearvide profitable employment for 100,000 ances only a small minority, would perspiring " cortege" all round the submen and women. It is against them, have substituted their own dictatorurb, led by the brass band from — the therefore, that the weary anger of all ship for the will of the country. Are local factory, the heroes of the occa. the orderly and hard-working elements not such tactics the characteristics of -ion being carried in three old " fiacres" of the people is gradually turning. the vCry regime which patriots of all bedecked with greenery. Meanwhile the return of the deport. parties have been fighting so vigorousBut in the acute political crisis which ed workers and political prisoners from ly during four years of oppression>" the Parties of the Left have precipitatGermany has taken first place in the That is a very moderate expression conversation of most people during the \cd by their demand for the King's abof an opinion which I have encounterdication, the last people who are likely Inst few weeks, M Van Zeeland, the ed' in numberless conversations. to be able to have anv say in the mat. iligh rommisioner for Repatriation, (Continued on Page 4.) ter are the ordinary citizens of Beland his staff, have worked wonders in
It is impossible not to sense a cer. tain unreality or, at least, artificiality in the violent war of newspaper headlines and political orations with which the Belgian people have been afflicted on the subject of King Leopold's intention to return to his duties. The trams, packed with busy shoppers, workers and British soldiers, clang as usual through the cobbled streets of Brussels. Everyone seems to be going about his business as usual in the bril. liant sunlight: there has been no vestige of street demonstrations. How to get enough food for the family to eat " convenablement" continues to be the absorbing interest of the housewife. In the Flemish countryside, through which I have been cycling and travelling by " vicinal," the splendid crops of grain and the neat rows of vegetables in the patch-work quilt of little fields delight the eye. Here, too, everyone is at work, many of them weeding on and, and knees. Yet we are told by "Le I)rapeaut Rouge" that the vast majority of the people demand the abdication of the King, " IIitler's accomplice," that " he is trying to impose himself by a " coup de force," with the help of the neo-fascists;" and that " the labouring masses will carry out in a solid bloc the orders for a general strike." I wonder. One thing is certain, and that is that the Flemings now form a substantial majority of the Belgians and that, to judge not only from the Flemish Press and reports from all parts of the Flemish provinces, but from the evidence of one's eyes and ears, 00 per cent. of therm are for the King. So, too, of course, are the much abused " bourgeotsie' and " petit- bourgeoisie" of the capital, other than the small and vocal number who hold office in the Socialist or Liberal parties, and, by all accounts, a goodly proportion of the Catholics of the Walloon provinces. A friend of mine was surprised at the large number of portraits of King Leopold which he found displayed in the windows of houses in Liege, supposedly one of
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