Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-05-15
The Bryce Report on Atrocities.

The Bryce Report on Atrocities.
The Bryce report could hardly have
come at a more opportune time for
effect upon the American public. Fol-
lowing the Lusitania slaughter of the
same inhuman character as charged
against the German forces in Belgium
and France (undeniably Of govern
ment ordering) the words of former
Ambassador Bryce will have great
weight in this country. That this
man, so we'll known and universally
respected in the United States, was at
the head Of the committee Of .investi-
cation is guarantee enough of it's fair
ness and reliability. And the horror
Of May z confirms the indictment be-
fore it was made, for the average
American.
But with Viscount Bryce were as
ISOLATED leaders of the English bar
Sir Frederick Pollock, Sir Edward
Clarke, Sir Alfred Hopkinson, to-
gether with the Vice. Chancellor of
the University of Sheffield, and that
keen and independent public man,
Mr. Harold Cox. These are men &C.
customed to weighing human testi-
mony and documentary evidence, and
to sitting out the true from the false.
In their present task they have spared
neither time nor labor. They have
been at work nearly five months.
They have taken more than 1900 dep
ositions. Their desire to be fair, to
reject every improbable or improved
story, to make allowance for all ex-
tenuating circumstances, is visible on
many pages. Yet the conclusion
which they reach, without haste or
heat, and in a full sense of their per-
sonal and public responsibility, is one
terribly damaging to the good name
of Germany, and particularly of her
army.
1t may rashly be charged that the
publication OF this report in America
was skilfully timed so as 10 deepen
the feeling caused by the sinking Of
the Lusitania. But this is absurd.
The report had long been preparing,
was received here by mail, and must
have been in print weeks ago. If its
appearance now seems like a clinch-
ing of the charges of barbarous con :
duct, on the part of the Germans, that
is not the fault of the men who have
made this patient investigation. In
deed, it has been openly asserted by
German apologists in this country
that the reason the Bryce Committee
had not reported was that it found
no authenticated atrocities to report
An exiled Louvain professor in Chi
cago had published his story of the
outrages: but his credibility was as
sailed by German resident of Chi
cago. who asserted: You know as
we'll as l that the British Commission
has investigated more than thou
sand cases, and still could find no evil
dence of German atrocities in Bel
GUM"
Leading and most responsible
newspapers of this country have
never made any attempt at sensa-
tions out of the atrocity tales thai
came unofiicially to hand. In the
first place they were feared to he
largely imaginary or untrustworthy
and again an honest attempt has been
made by the press at large to main
tain an absolutely neutral ground and
to give each belligerent the benefit OF
every doubt whether charges of bar
barous methods were made. This
newspaper has dumped cords of the
claims of both sides in the waste
basket, not because they would moi
make interesting reading, but because
the editors were skeptical as to it's re-
liability and had not means of secur-
ing proof.
Now we are convinced that atroci
ties recorded by the Bryce COMMITTEES
and repeated in the Lusitania disas'
ter, were in pursuance Of fixed plan
with a purpose of terrorizing all op-
ponents.
We credit the Bryce report which
in full, is 10000 words long. giving
names and dates. with a great num-
Der Of references for proof. And
this 6O-page report is but an epitome
of the mass of evidence collected and
available for an international in
vestigation should such be made al
any time in the future.