The San Francisco call., 1904-03-20
COMMUNICATION
AROUSES BEBEL
Socialist Member of the
Reichstag Denounces Ger
man Campaign in Africa
QUOTES PUBLIC LETTER
Says That After Easter He
Will Demand an Explana-
tion From Colonial Office

BERLIN, March 19.-In the Reich
stag to-day Herr Bebel, the Socialist
leader, referred to the German cam
paign against the Hereros, which, he
said, had taken on a character preju-
dicial 20 Germany's interests and
honor, since all Hereros were killed
and no prisoners were taken. He re-
ferred to letter from a veterinary
surgeon. DR.. Baumgart. in the Leipsic
Neuste Nachrichten, asserting that no
quarter was given and that every
black was shot down, DR.. Baumgart
himself boasting that like cannibal,
he had massacred wounded men.
Therein can be seen," continued
Herr Bebel, how far even our edu-
Gated people are becoming brutalized.
Let us not deceive ourselves with the
| belief that the present occurrences in
! Southwest Africa make q demoraliz-
| ing impression only on the troops
there. The descriptions sent must also
have a demoralizing and brutalizing
effect on the German people"
Herr Bebel did not deny that the
Hereros also perpetrated cruelties, but
he intimated that the reports on the
subject sent to Germany were pur-
posely colored. The tales of horror
circulated by the German press were
at least partly untrue, like the al
legged murder of two women, who are
still living"
QUOTES REPORT.
THE reports of the Rhenish Mis-
sionary Society,"" said Herr Bebel,
show that things are by no means
as bad as reported in the newspapers
! friendly to the Colonial Office. Those
reports show that the Hereros spare
the whites who prove to be not Ger
mans, like the English, Beers and
] Danes. 1t appears therefore that
some of our countrymen have so ILL
/ treated the Hereros that they have
generated a fanatical prejudice against
Germans in general.
Samuel Maharaero, chief of the
Hereros, continues the missionary re-
port, has given orders that no harm
be done to non-Germans, missionaries,
women or children, but that German
men be shot mercilessly down. They
further report that the Hereros begged
/ pardon of white women wounded by
stray shots in fights, saying they did
not wish to hurt defenseless women.
There is no word of truth in the as
sertion that the missionaries made
common cause with the Hereros. On
! the other hand, many Hereros took
refuge in the missionary stations,
which apparently were regarded as
places of safety"
Herr Bebel also said the Socialists
of the Colonial Office on these mat
ters.
ARENDT TAKES ISSUE.
DR.. Arendt, Conservative, questioned
the veracity of the writer of the let
ter Herr Bebel had mentioned. Pri-
vate letters, DR.. Arendt added, are
often filled with vain boasting. The
House must wait until the rebellion is
subdued and then try to ascertain the
/ facts.
"At any rate" DIR. Arendt continued,
/ 'all sides agree that the Hereros have
! devastated, plundered and destroyed
/ in a frightful manner. Our only con-
Germ now is to help our countrymen
without inquiring into the cause of the
rebellion"
The supplementary credits for
! Southwest Africa were then voted and
the House resumed the debate on the
military budget
The Reichstag then adjourned until
April IL.