The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-08-11
EDGAR |L|FF SEES
ECONOMIC REASONS
FOR EUROPE'S WAR
Local Student Describes
Crowded Conditions and
DeplOres Ravages of Con-
flict on Historic Liege.

would hold Belgium and Servia and
leave almost room enough for SwitZer-
land.
Belgium is less than half the size
Of South Carolina but has a popula-
ton seven times greater, numbering
over seven millions. The city of Liege
pronounced Le-azh) is the capital Of
the province of that name and has a
population of 175, 200. 1t is one of the
most historic cities of Europe.
Being now assaulted by German
troops the worlds eye is upon Liege.
No man can foretell it's future. 1t
may fall under the indomitable fight
ing qualities of the German soldier or
be wrecked by such a bombardment or
siege as Germany visited upon Paris,
the horrors of which even the real
istic pen of lola in his "DOWnfall' or
the facile art of Daudet in his Mod
ern Barbarians" can never do full JUS
tice to-
The weekly death roll in Paris, be-
sieged under the iron clutches of Bis
marck and Moltke, ran up to $500.
Small poX claimed 6,400 victims in
five months. Infants from the lack of
food died at the rate of $500 a week.
The German guns dropped 127 pro-
jectiles into the Monrogue Insane hos
pIeoi oiolS. Iloolildlo, WI Nd vi dl L,
costly edifices, fell under the rain of
shotted shell The French claimed
and still believe that the German gun
ners took deliberate aim at these
buildings and therefore call them the
Modern Barbarians' France and
Paris still hold this undying grudge.
To destroy Liege with its noble
collections, its ancient buildings, its
accumuations of centuries of art and
human toll, would be the crime of the
age. But war. like hell. is no respect
err. 1t is the tragedy of human history
that war has lost to us the most val
liable treasures in the art and litera-
ture of tbs past. We will never know
what we have lost in the devastation
of ancient libraries. such as the price
less collection at Alexandria, destroy
ed by Alexandria the Great Modern
estimates would call him Alexandria
the Small. We can never estimate
what we have lost in the destruction
Of Greek dramas. OF the sublime tri-
ology Of Aeschylus only one drama
survives, "Prometheus Bound" For
what remains of ancient literature
we have to thank the Catholic clois-
tiers where the monks preserved liter
ature in their peaceful precincts amid
all the horrors and anarchy Of the
Middle Ages
Liege has cathedrals dating back
to the year 1852. The cathedral of
Sainte Croix dates from go ST. Paul
and st. Martin date from the tenth
century. The Basilica of st. Barthol-
my and the Palais of Justice date
from the twelfth and fifteenth cen
turtles. Liege has the finest collection
Of remains of ante-deluvian animals
in the world. 1t has the best deaf,
dumb and blind asylums in modern
civilization. It's geological and botan-
ical gardens are unsurpassed in
beauty and value. 1t has royal con-
servatory of music where six hun
dred students are taught the art of
stringed Instruments 1t is famous
for it's institutions Of philosophy, jur-
isprudence and natural sciences, med
1cine and technology, with an attend
ance of 1900 students 1t has a great
archaeological museum, and a series
Of university buildings scattered all
over the city Its university has a
library of over 100000 volumes, ana
tomical and physiological institutes,
with chamical laboratories and Zoolog-
ical departments. The townspeople
of Liege have always been restless
anu defiant under any foreign yoke
and have repeatedly thrown off the
domination of France, Holland, Eng
land and the Holy Roman Empire.
The working people Of Belgium fol-
low their various occupations at home
in what is called house industry"
Nearly every family has a garden spot
which makes them thrifty. Writers
on sociology and political economy
say that the Belgians have the most
perfect and successful form Of CO.
operation in the world The Belgian
working men discard the name of
Socialist and call themselves the Bel
gian Labor Party.
The more the present war and it's
beginning ten or fifteen years ago
are studied the more it looks as if the
contest is largely economic and is
the outgrOWth of our modern indus
trial expansion. Germany is pressed
for room Her socialist vote has
grown from 1852, 600 to 3,25S,96S.
Franco finds herself confronted with
a vote Of l,i50O00 as against Social
ist ballot of only 100000 ten years ago.
Back Of the appalling array Of mil
itarism is the clamor of the common
people fighting for what KropOtkin
calls the conquest for bread Fight
ing under flags of different nations
are the common people millions of
tueIl hllo w iIS lllllt HlOi VI SoNtl IL
ment than taxation to pay for a mill
tary system in which they are the
chief victims. Thousands of Russian
lads meet death on the battle field or
in hospitals where the last vision of
their closing eyes is the miserable
home where mother or father were
beaten and flogged to eXtort taxes
from them. Thousands die whose
fathers and mothers in Siberian mines
will never know Of their destruction.
Pay Cost in Blood.
Our hearts, our tears, our deepest
sympathy for the common soldier in
every land, under every star or sun,
on every field and sea beneath the
fluttering flag of every victory or de-
feat! Tears for the German lad who
falls in the thickest of the fight and
turns his white face to the stars in
the clutch of death. with dim and dis
solving visions Of some Gretchen or
some Margaret who far away waved
her last farewell. And tears for those
who weep in the huts and novels in
the hamlets back home. Tears for
them alderman, English, French,
Russian. Austrian, Servian, Belgian
They all pay the cost in blood. Their
children pay the cost in poverty, bur-