The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1915-09-24
EXPLOSIVES DROPPED AT RAM
DOM IN DARK, SAYS "lMPAR.
TIAL OBSERVER"
ON-COMBATANTS ARE KILLED
Recent Air Attacks BY Germans Ara
Called Complete Failures So Far
az the Moral Effect 10
Concerned.

London, Sept. 2O.--An official des.
cription of some of the effects of the
last Zeppelin raid upon the London
district, written by an impartial oh.
server at the request Of the home Sec
retary, Sir John Simon, and just issued
for publication, follows:
"While it Is absolutely necessary In
tho interest Of public safety to main.
tain the rule that no unauthorized &C.
counts shall appear, the real character
OF the attacks will be better under
stood from collection of incidents.
each verified on the spot ard vouched
for by the authorities as accurate. The
home secretary takes this opportunity
Of stating explicitly that the total cas-
ualties resulting from these air raids
have been correctly stated in all cases.
The information is based puon an ex.
haustive inquiry by the police.
Keep Locations Secret,
"In letter some months ago, First
Lord Of the Admiralty Ralfour set
forth the reasons which prevented the
government from disclosing the exact
localities in which damage has been
done in the yarioas Zeppelmn gaaidlss. gaai d.
These reasons REMAIN Valid and there
is no intention of departing from the
rule adopted to prevent Information be.
ing made available for the enemy, eth
er in regard to the routes taken or the
places and buildings on which bombs
were dropped.
THE experience in the raids last
week. combined with German official
reports, demonstrate that commanders
Of German aircraft often are grossly in
error as to their movements and they
have no means of estimating the effect
of their promiscuous bombardments,
materially or morally. L
Women and Children Killed.
"In every case where damage has
been caused it was private property
which suffered, and in most cases this
has been of the small residential kind.
Almost all the unfortunate people who
have been killed not only were non,
cOmbatants of class who hitherto, in
the honorable practice of civilized war
fare, have been exempt from attack
women, children, small shopkeepers.
workingmen - the sacrifice of whose
lives serves no military purpose, either
morally or materially.
"The folly and futility of the raids
last week may well be imagined when
it is remembered that the London dis
rict, taken for convenience as the
, area administered by the metropoli-
tan police, is just short of 700 square
miles in area. 1t was by hastily drop
ping, at random, in the dark, explo-
sive and incendiary material some-
where on this enormous surface, that
the enemy professed to have accoal-
plis.led an important military pur
pose.
No Public Buildings Hit.
"The fact is that no public institu-
tion of any kind was hit, nor was any
power station or arsenal. No damage
was done affecting the use Of any
building connected directly or indi-
rectly with the conduct of the war.
1T is true two hospitals narrowly
escaped damage, but it is only fair to
say in behalf of the officers OF an
army which has done its best to de-
stroy the cathedrals of Belgium and
France, that up to the present they
have succeeded In hitting only one
church.
so far as the moral eject of the
raid is concerned, it is feared that
from the standpoint Of Berlin it was
complete failure