The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-20
!, THE GERMAN SIZE
Continued from Frat Page

sought II.
There are in Germany 10 peace So
cieties with 10000 members whose
aim has been and is to secure and
maintain lasting peace.
Why is the United States at pres
ent reading so many statements That
would lead to distinctly different
conclusions? Every one knows that
the German cable was cut by Eng
land at the outset of the hostilities
British news agencies control much
of the representative press not only
here in the United States but
throughout the world. We have a
different language from that used in
Germany-one of, if not the strong
est reason Strict censorship of
European news was established in
London with the cutting OF the cable.
Mrs. VIM. Spring. sister of Sen
Max Powell, whose home has been in
Germany but who returned late last
fall and lives in Burlington, said
that while waiting three days in Rot
terdam their room was next that of
the head of the Associated Press
He asked her husband if he would
try to take with him package of
manuscript telling them that by far
the greater part of what he had writ
ten had not reached America and
that the articles permitted by the
London censors TO pass had been so
changed that he would hardly recog
niZe them
As to the neutrality of Belgium
Mrs. Spring said Belgium was filed
with French soldiers and English am
munition," that they had seen French
soldiers that were taken with the
first forts in Belgium Does not this
look as if Belgium had broken her
neutrality and was no longer entitled
to immunity from invasion, il indeed
after study of history, consideration
OF Mr. Gladstones declaration and
seeing facsimiles from British maps
and plans found among the secret
archives IN Brussels and which were
sent to our library one feels that
the neutrality was still in force.
Mrs. Spring stated that French
soldiers had crossed the German
boundaries and Russian troops were
modified on the other and that the
people, instead of blaming the en-
peror for declaring war felt that he
had waited too long, thereby losing
valuable advantage.
The Germans have repeatedly stat
ed that the fire. drawn upon Rheims
the ancient capital of France, by her
own people having made it for a time
their central strategic point, careful
ly spared the beautiful cathedral un-
. fnt a..
destructive French artillery fire was
being directed from its towers. anu
that their fire was withdrawn from 1t
at the first moment possible.
AS to the burning of Louyaine !
quote an American army officer S
words las an officer I state that il
my troops~had been fired upon in the
back by hostile civilians would
have proceeded exactly as, the Ger
mans did Sin Louyaine. A false re-
port had been circulated that the
Germans were retreating from Ant
werp and would pass through Lou
vaine. When small column of sick
Germans entered the city they took
the poor sick men under fire A
Belgian physician who was present
and who has since visited friends in
the United States says: THE Bel
gans themselves brought about the
destruction of the city. There were
not single shots but a regular fusi-
lade was opened and at least 1000
Germans were killed or wounded by
civilians
We have heard little In this coun-
try OF the atrocities of Belgian mobs
upon defenseless German families
long resident in Belgium OF which
there are long detailed accounts. l
quote from one: THE women and
children, even women in child-bed
were dragged by the hair from their
beds and inhumanly beaten; two
children about 9 and years old
flung from the fourth story window
of a house to the pavement; rela-
tives seeking despairingly for weeks
wives, sisters, children who were
hunted down and misused in the
most gruesome fashion"
In a report to the Newark Evening
News from Berlin, VIM. T. Collins.
journalist whose father was for
many years the Episcopal clergyman
in Brattleboro wrote: 1T is certain
that German soldiers have been
brought back to Berlin with their
ears cut off and their eyes put OUT
Mrs. Spring told of several in
stances She had known of Germans
sending child to their home with a
message to the wife: 81 killed this
child's father 1t has no protector
living take care of It,"
George 0. Webster, native Yer
monter, writing Jan. % to the ST.
Adams Messenger said. "As it hap.