Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-07-28

and breaches OF International law, was
made public today in a red book is-
sued by the Austro-Hungarian minis
try of foreign affairs through it's m
bassy here.
The publication Is called a "Collec-
ton of Evidence" and is divided into
-four parts.
THE first two parts,' says a prefa-
tory note introducing numerous de-
positions and ~affidavits, contain evil
dence concerning the treatment of
Austro-Hungarian diplomatic and on
sular officers by the government Of
ficers of the hostile countries. The
cases adduced deal with the violations
of the most elementary rules of the
right of hospitality. a right conse-
Grated since the remotest antiquity
and respected even by the unciviiized
nations or tribes. Never before have
so many cases of the violations of this
right been ~instanced. In several cases
the illegal expulsion or arrest has pre-.
coded the actual state of war II fact
which still further .~aggravates the Of
Tense. The expulsion of the Austro-
Hungarian diplomatic agents from Mo-
rocco and Egypt, which is irreconcil-
able with existing international treat
les. has been made the subject Of pro-
tests lodged with the neutral powers.
The third part contains evidence of
the treatment to which Austrian and
Hungarian citizens nave been subject
ed-in most cases before the opening
Of hostilities-in hostile countries.
Even If it be conceded that the pre-
vention Of the enemy's nationals from
justifiable. the methods employed by
the hostile countries. and especially
the arrest and the incarceration Of
aged men, sick persons, women and
Children, are contrary to the elementary
usages of humanity. 1t was a French
TrOfaCC0V III n IN, yytn fhy,c f1nf{nn1 CYlnh
conduct: TO inflict sufferings on
defenseless citizens of the enemy with
out imperative reasons is to revert to
barbarism."
Few Rules Unbroken.
"The fourth part comprises authentic
proofs of violations of the laws Of
warfare. From the evidence published
herewith the conclusion is inevitable
that there is hardly a rule Of warfare
which has not been violated repeatedly
by the hostile armies. To the numer-
Gus cases of disregard of the regula-
lions concerning the use of prohibited
projectiles, contained in The Hague
agreement about the laws and practices
| Of warfare on land, and Of the Geneva
convention, must be added h UNI
speakable outrages of which the Serb
Ian and Montenegrin troops have been
guilty. This ruthlessly illegal way or
conducting war operations, and the
cruel and -treacherous participation OF
the entire population in acts of war,
certify once more the lapse from CIV
ilization which the people of these
countries have undergone.
THE collection OF evidence does not
purport to be complete In any respect.
1t is naturally restricted to the exposi-
| ton Of facts which have been either Of
ficially Investigated or authenticated
in an unimpeachable way
I'm proportion to the number of cases
which have actually occurred. the mum
Der of the proven instances Is exceed
ingly small. UP to this day, the min.
istry Of foreign affairs is still without
information concerning the fate of
several consular officials who have
been arrested. The Austrians and
Hungarians who are being detained In
hostile countries can be counted by the
thousands. Almost all of them still
endure In silence the outrageous meth
DDS wherein the governments of hos
stile countries set human dignity at
naught. The breaches of the laws of
warfare as compiled in part of this
collection. must likewise be considered.
however. as only individual evidence
For the time being we cannot have
anything approaching q comprehensive
knowledge of events in the territories
beyond the enemy's lines. And yet
from the reports which reach IS and
from trustworthy news published In
AoISl6H udlly papers, IL lS pOSSlDle u
draw the ell-founded conclusion that
thousands of shocking violations OF
the laws OF nations have occurred
especially in the districts of our coun-
try occupied by the enemy.
Starvation Of Non-combatants.
The preposterous claim of the hos
tile nations to he right to subject the
entire population Of large countries tc
famine must be stigmatized as a sacri-
legious violation of the rules Of war
fare. No less s~acrilegious is the &C,
OF he hostile governments in tolerat.
ing. II not actually inspiring, the un-
precedented agitation Of a press which
disseminates lies and fosters hatred
Most OF the excuses to which thous-
ands of innocent and d~efenseless PEG.
pie have fallen victims are the direct
outcome Of that agitation.
"The collection of evidence, as nov
published for general information, can.
not convey even a faint idea OF the
decay which the notions OF interna-
tional law have undergone and which
In the course of a few months have
destroyed many a hope; 1t may, how
ever. furnish some facts for the re.
Election OF those whose Judgment ha.
remained unbiased as to who is re.
sponsible for the collapse of the Law
OF nations and of the n Of moral.
1ty In a war brought on by our en-.
emies for the purpose Of crushing ma.
tons engaged in the peaceful pursuit.
OF the blessing OF civilization. and a.
to who has the right to claim that h,
Is lighting this holly contest struggl,
for h sake of liberty and humanity
"A typical example of the treatmen
OF Austrians in Belgium is described
In q letter from an Austrian merchan