The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-08

statement concerning the Germah White Book recently issued at Ber- lin making accusations against the Belgian civilian population:
 ttThe American newspapers have published extracts from German White Book, in which the German government accuses the Belgian civilian population of having risen en masse and taken arms against the invaders. and of having organized corps of franc tireurs' The German government also claims, in this docu- ment, that the Belgian government gave free rein to the passions of the population and alleges that Bel gfdm's accusations against the Ger man army were invented to hide her own crimes.
 ''No proof is brought forward to support these accusations
 "tAffir1natfons without proof can not efface facts duly proven and es- tablished.
 .At the beginning of the war. the BeIgian government issued the fol- lowing procla nations. the text of which was 'repudiated among the documents published by the Belgian Commission of Inquiry:
 't1. A circular of MT. Berryer, addressed under date of August 4th, 1914, simultaneously to 2,700 com munesy of Belgium, by telegraph, re- nainding the population that acts of hostility against the invader were re- served exclusively to the army, the Civil Guard and corps of volunteers regularly organized. Portions of this circular are borrowed textually from the Hague Convention, such for ex- ample, as the portion concerning the population of a territory spontane- ousIy taking up arms on the ap- preach of invaders, which faithfully reproduces article 2 of the regula- tions- annexed to The Hague Conven- ton
 @2. In notice from the same nm ister inserted daily in the newspapers and publicly posted in the larger part, if not in all, of the communes of the country in the early part of. August. This notice advised the civilian population to abstain care fully from any act of hostility against as both criminal and 1nprudent, tany act of violence committed by a. single civilian <
 'Tn the majority ef communes. the local authorities repeated this official warning. in the. form of notices or communal orders duly posted on the walls and other public places. Sfnat- lar notices were still posted upon the walls of unfortunate cities at the. mo ment of their destruction and was pointed out to the German officers.
 GA conside erable number of com munal governments made it obhga- tory to deposit immediately, at the police stations, or at the city halls, all fire arms belonging to individuals, l-revolyers and sporting guns The Germans found these deposits of arms marked with the names of the owners; in several cases, they pre- tended to look upon it as proof of l a clandestine organization of francs tireurs,' held the communal author1- ties responsible in spite of all ex-
 
 \ tire~commune, a heavy fine or even inflicted a terrible punishment up- on the whole population E 'sSuch were the precautions taken by the Belgian government. They are proved by the official documents, by the files of the Belgian newspa- pers of that time and by photographs of walls with the notices posted on ] them. If the German government de nies these facts, it should bring proof to support it's statements. simple denial of these facts which are so patent and we'll established, has not and cannot have any Judicial value.
 "No organized tfrane-ttreurs war l existed in Belgium. No evidence has been brought to support thisN Na11ega- tion. and the allegation is denied by the various Commissions of Inquiry.
 ''The German government accuses the Belgian priests of having par l man army. This accusation is ab- solutely false, the fact is that many | priests have been murdered and a great number subjected to barbarous treatments by the Germans. The | German Bureau Pax a German of i by the clergy and the parliamentary l.Center,' thought it necessary, in the interest of German Catholicism, to throw some light on these ca1omies into the. matter have put the ac- cusers to confusion. A great number of these inquiries have been analysed by Rev. Father Bern Duhr, s. J.. in has pamphlet Der Lugengeist i'm \ voelkerkrieg,' published by c. J. Manz at Muenchen-R n-Regensburg
 "On the other hand,. the manner in which the German troops con- ducted themselves towards the Bel gian clergy has been shown by Cardi- nal Mercier in his Pastoral letter dat ed Christmas 1914. Up to the pres ceived by 4s priests and members of religious orders who have been put to death in Belgium by the German troops. Some of them were fight fully mutilated and tortured. More over. in these eases, the most con vincing proof was furnished by the victims themselves; the corpses of several of these unfortunates were ex- humed and were seen to bear the marks of the most aboninable muti- lations. Cardinal ,- Mercier proposed
 to the German authorities that a thorough investigation should be T made of each of the cases mentioned by him, that all parties should be heard and that the investigatio on should be conducted under the presi- dency of the American minister to Belgium, No action has been taken on this proposition.
 'sA1 the statements of tf1e White Book concerning alleged -crue1ties Il committed by Be1Gans against the II German soldiers are in striking con- tradicti6n ta the dispositions gather ,H ed by the two Conaf1issfen of Inquiry yI The. commission, presided over by ] KFSr.sazaaa+ zF71.ena aaSd 49aa Re3aia4a aeEs4a,