New-York tribune., 1901-12-06
THE WAR OVER WAR METHODS.

The outbnrst of German wrath ut the British
Colonial Secretary for his alleged Insult to the
German army appears to have reached its
height, and perhaps to be now abatlng 1t has
been received in England with considerable
callnness. though few pretty energetic
sponses have been made Neither side shows
the slightest symptom Of being convinced by
the other. and it is quite possible that there
will be perpetual disagreement over it. To the
impartial onlooker it seems quite possible that
the whole storm has arisen over misapprehen-
sion, or over some as yet undetermined ques-
ton of fact. Let Us recall, then. the formal
ground of offence Mr.. Chamberlain said in his
speech that the time had come. or was coming
when more severe measures might be necessary
i'll South Africa, and he added: IF that time
comes we can find precedents for anything
that we may do in the action of those nations
"who now critlcise our 'barbarty' and cruelty
but whose example in Poland in the Caucasus
sin Algeria, in Tonquin. in Bosnia in the
Franco German War, we have never even
"approached.'
The alleged insult is in the last clause in
the declaration that the British in South Africa
have not employed severe measures as the
Germans diA in France. SO the questions arise.
What did the Germans do? and What have the
British done? The answer to the former is
matter of official record. Mr. III. W. Wilson in
THE London Mail quotes official orders of the
German Emperor. of the German Governor of
Lorraine and of general officers Of the German
army in 1871. showing that because of the burn
ing of a railroad bridge at Fontenoy fine of
100000 marks was levied upon the district and
the village of Fontcnoy was completely burnt"
and the latter fate was promised to every place
where such an incident occurred. Public notice
was given by the Governor of Lorraine that if
by noon the next day five hundred workmen
from certain shops not at the station a
number of the workmen and the heads of the
shops would be seized and at once shot An
other official order announced that all persons
not in uniform. but with weapons and COM
mitting acts of hostility to the Germans, would
be ''irrevocably put to death" Still another
official notice stated that the pastor of a parish
church had been court martialled and shot for
distributing arms and nstgating hostile acts
Quotations are also made from the history by
Colonel Won Widdern Ga GERMANY telling of the
shooting of French civilians taken with arms in
their hands, and Of the burning of homesteads
in retaliation for the destruction of railroads
and telegraphs. French civilians were also car
ried railroad trans-on the Iocomotives-as
hostages. And in such prosecution of the cam
paign death was often inflicted upon innocent
persons
The answer to the other question remains to
be given. What have the British done in South
Africa? 1t may be that they have acted more
harshly than the Germans in Lorraine If So
Mr.. Chamberlain did Germany an Injustice But
convincing evidence to that effect has not vet
been produced. So far as the world has been
credibly informed the measures employed hy
the British have been no more severe but rather
| less severe than those attributed by indubi-
table German authorities to the German army,