Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-06-09

washington, June Tine Belgian
Legation has given out the following
| statement concerning the German
White Book recently issued at Berlin
making accusations against the Bel
gian civilian population:
THE American newspapers have
published extracts from a German
White Book, in which the German
Government accuses the Belgian civil
ian population Of having risen en-
masse and taken arms against the in
vaders. and of having organized corps
Of franc tireurs'. The German gov
eminent also claims. in this document.
rein to the passions Of the population
and alleges that Belgium's accusations
against the German army were in
vented to hide her own crimes.
mo proof is brought forward to
support these accusations.
"Affirmations without proof cannot
efface facts duly proven and estab-
lished.
lat the beginning OF the war. the
Belgian Government issued the fol-
lowing proclamations, the text Of
uments published by the Belgian
Commission Of Inquiry:
y. A circular Of Mr. Berger, Min
lister Of the Interior, addressed, under
date of August 4th, 1914, simultaneous
ly to 2700 communes of Belgium, by
telegraph, reminding the population
| that acts Of hostility against the in
| vader were reserved exclusively to the
army, the Civil Guard, and corps of
Volunteers regularly organized. Por-
tons Of this circular are borrowed
textually from the Hague Convention,
such, for example, as the portion con-
corning the population Of a territory
spontaneously taking up arms on the
approach Of invaders, which faithfully
reproduces article 2 of the Regulations
annexed to The Hague Convention.
go. In notice from the same Min
isters inserted daily in the newspapers
and publicly posted in the larger port.
if not in all Of the communes Of the
country in the early part OF August
This notice advised the civilian pop
ulation to abstain carefully from any
act Of hostility against the foreign
troops, and characterized as both
criminal and imprudent' any act OF
violence committed by a single civil
ian'
I'm the majority of communes, the
local authorities repeated this official
warning in the form Of notices or COM
munal orders duly posted on the walls
and other public places. Similar notices
were still posted upon the walls of I'M
fortunate cities at the moment Of their
destruction and was pointed out to
the German officers.
"A considerable number Of COM
munal governments made 1t obligato-
~ to deposit Immediately, at the po-
lice stations. or at the City Halls, all
fire. arms belonging to Individuals
revolvers and sporting guns. The Ger
mans found these deposits of arms
marked with the names Of the owners;
in several cases, they pretended to
look upon it as a proof of clandes-
tine organization of francs tireurs,'
held the communal authorities respon-
slble in spite Of all explanations, and
imposed upon the entire commune, a
heavy fine or even inflicted a terrible
punishment upon the whole population.
Such were the precautions taken
by the Belgian Government. They are
proved by the official documents, by
the files Of the Belgian newspapers Of
that time and by photographs of walls
with the notices posted on them. If
the German Government denies these
facts, it should bring proof to support
its statements. A simple denial of
facts which are SO patent and so well
&C IA "a
any judicial value.
mo organized francs tireurs war
existed in Belgium. No evidence has
been brought to support this allega-
ton, and the allegation is denied by
the various Commissions Of Inquiry.
THE German Government accuses
the Belgian priests of having partici-
pated in the attacks upon the German
army. This accusation Is absolutely
false, the fact is that many priests
have been murdered and a great
number subjected to barbarous treat
ments by the Germans. The Ger
man Office Of apoIogetical defence
created by the clergy and the parlia-
mentary Center, thought it neces-
sary, in the interest of German cath
olicism, to throw some light on these
calumnies made by Germany. and its
inquiries into the matter have put the
accusers to confusion. A great num-
Der Of these inquiries have been ana
lyzed by the Rev. Father Bern Duhr,
S. j., in his pamphlet Der Lugengeist
i'm Voelkerkrieg. published by c. ].
MANI at Muenchen- Regensburg.
"On the other hand. the manner in
which the German troops conducted
themselves towards the Belgian Clergy
has been shown by Cardinal MERCER
in his Pastoral Letter dated Christmas
1914. Up to the present time, infor-
nation has been received Of 40 priests
and members Of religious orders who
have been put to death in Belgium
my the German troops. Some of them
were frightfully mutilated and tor
tured. Moreover. in these cases.
the most convincing proof was fur
nlshed by the victims themselves; the
corpses Of several Of these unfortu-
mates were exhumed and were seen to
bear the marks Of the most abomin-
able mutations. Cardinal MERCER
proposed to the German authorities
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