Evening star., 1915-02-08
FOOD STILL NECESSARY
FOR BELGIUM, He SAYS
Former Representative Scott of
Kansas Says People Will Starve
if Supply Is Diminished.

LONDON, February S.-"The situa-
tion remains acute. If the supply of
food Is diminished Belgium will
starve."
| This message has been cabled by
former Representative Charles F. Scott
| of Kansas. who is returning from an
inspection of relief work in Belgium
! and France, to former Gov. Walter r.
Stubbs of Kansas.
While at Malines Mr.. Scott called
upon Cardinal Mercier. He was ac-
companied by Pessain, the printer who
was fined for printing tho now famous
pastoral letter of the archbishop. De-
scribing his interview with the prelate,
Mr.. Scott said:
"The cardinal obviously enjoys the
dilemma in which he has placed the
Germans. His eyes twinkled as he
told the story of his latest adventure.
At s o'clock one morning. said the
archbishop, az German officer and two
soldiers brought communication from
the commander asking him to deny
of his personal liberty. The denial
which had been prepared consisted of
four or five typewriter sheets.
Cardinal Mercier said he requested
his callers to return in the evening for
an answer, but the officer declared they
must await reply i'll the cardinals 8
room. At the archbishop's request tele-
phonic confirmation OF this order was
received.
Describing his subsequent expert
ences. the cardinal said:
Restrained in His Palace.
ut is true no manacles were used to
restrain me, but 1 was to have per-
formed service at Antwerp and was
not permitted to so there. For three
days 1 was restrained in my palace.
Two days later 1 was asked to modify
my letter and wrote another. II the
Germans are clever they will publish
my first pastoral
"The archbishop smiled as he made
the final statement. Asked if he had
any message for Americans, he said:
Nothing except to give the people
of your great country assurances OF
our gratitude. We would have starved
had it not been for you. The work OF
your relief commission has been very
efficient
so far as I could see Cardinal Mer-
cier was free to come and go as he
pleased, subject, ! presume, to the
usual restrictions imposed upon Bel
gians. Men were At work bracing the
walls of the cathedral and tearing
down the parts which must be re-
moved. Although terribly battered, it
now appears that the beautiful build
ing will be saved. The damage to it is
estimated at $260,OOO.
People Greatly Depressed.
THE people in and around Malines
appeared as depressed as any 1 saw in
Belgium, which is saying more than I
can describe. They wander aimlessly
through the streets, where bands of
Wretched. ragged children beg from
every one in sight. Elsewhere I was
struck with the courage the 'Belgians
show in efforts to rebuild their homes
and resume their normal life, but; OF
course, they are utterly dependent
upon supplies brought in by the COM
mission.
"At one of the villages near Malines
l was told of an insane asylum. with
200 or 900 inmates, which was in the
line of German fire. The Belgian
take their charges to place OF safety
The lunatics cowed and shocked into
a condition OF apparent sanity; march ,
ed out under a fire Of bullets and
shrapnel, with the steadiness of train ed
soldiers,
when you have seen Wise, with its
population of 1900 now reduced to a
hundred odd families, existing in it's al
once beautiful Dinant, now just heap
of jumbled debris; when you see on old
woman with spade trying to till a
f1ve-acre field; when you see for miles
you begin to realize what war is
Germans Cultivate Land.
with a German general I motored
through large section of France. now
occupied by the Germans, every foot of
which has been fought over. We drove
for miles through thousands of acres
of partly harvested wheat. What was
left was tra1nnled under the feet of
two army corps. Almost within the
sound of firing the Germans have a
thousand or more of their own soldiers
at work with gang ploughs, drawn by
gasoline tractors, farming 125.000 acres
of land, which was a battlefield a few
weeks ago.
Throughout this region the Germans
have been giving the inhabitants
enough bread to keep them alive, but
| they told me they could not possibly
continue this work, for 1t would be
physically impossible as soon as active
operations are recommended. Through
out my trip l saw enough to convince
me the Germans are treating the COM
mission with perfect fairness helpinp