South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-07
GERMAN CHARGES
ARE GROUNDLESS
STATE BELGIANS
No Proof Brought Forward to
Support Accusations in
White Book Says Legation
Statement.

man white book recently issued at
Berlin making accusations against the
Belgian civilian population:
THE American newspapers have
published extracts from a German
white book in which the German gov
eminent accuses the Belgian civilian
population OF having risen en- masse
and taken arms against the invaders.
and OF having organized corps OF
'franctieurs' The German govern
ment also claims in this document
that the Belgian government gave
free rein TO the passions of the popu-
Iation and alleges that Belgiums ac-
cusatiOns against the Germany army
were invented 10 hide her own crimes.
mo proof is brought forward TO
support these accusations.
''AfhrmatiOns without proof cannot
efface facts duly proven and estab-
lshed.
AT the beginning OF the war the
Belgian government issued the fol-
lowing prOclamatiOns, the texts of
, which were reproduced among the
documents published by the Belgian
commission of inquiry:
Sent Out Circular
IA circular - cir. Berger min
lister OF the interior, addressed, under
date of Aug. 4, 1914. simultaneously
telegraph, reminding the population
that acts OF hostility against the in
Vaders were reserved exclusively 10
the army. the civil guard and corps of
volunteers regularly organized.
Portions of this circular are ber
rowed teXtualiy from The Hague con-
VentiOn. such, for example, as the pOr-
ton concerning the population of a
territory spontaneously taking up
arms on the approach Of invaders,
which faithfully reproduces article ,
Of the regulations annexed to The !
Hague convention.
"2-In notice from the same min !
lister inserted daily in the newspapers I
and publicly posted in the larger part, I
if not IN all of the cOmmunes of the /
country in the early part OF August. J
This notice advised the civilian pop |
ulatiOn TO abstain carefully from any I
act Of hostility against the foreign .
troops and characterized as both
criminal and imprudent' any act of !
violence committed by a single civil /
IAN
In the majority OF cOmmunes, the 4
local authorities repeated this official
warning in the form of notices or /
communal orders, duly posted on the
walls and other public places. Similar |
notices were still posted upon the /
walls OF unfortunate cities at the mo- /
ment OF their destruction.
BcIgians Have Proof.
"Such were the precautions taken !
by the Belgian government. They /
are proved by the official documents. I
by the files Of the Belgian newspapers
OF that time and by photographs of (
walls with the notices posted on them. !
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 great num-
Der subjected 10 barbarOus treatment !
by the Germans. The German bu-
reau pax German office OF apollo
getical defense created by the clergy
and the parliamentary center
thought it necessary in the interest
OF German Catholicism TO throw some
light on these calumnies made by Ger
many and it's inquiries into the matter
have put the accusers TO confusion. 4
great number of these inquiries have
been analyZed by the Rev. Father
Barn DubrZ. In his pamphlet, Der
Lugengeist I'm Noelkerkreg.' publish
ed by G. J. MANI at Munchen- Regens-
burg.
ION the other hand. the manner in
which the German troops conducted
themselves towards the Belgian cler-
Nv has been shown by Cardinal Mcr-
cier in his pastoral letter dated Christ
mas, 1914. Up to the present time
Information has been received of 80
priests and members of religious or
ders who have been put 10 death by
German soldiers. Some of them were
frightfuIly mutilated and tortured.
Moreover. in these cases. the most
convincing proof was furnished by the
victims themselves. the cOrpSes of
several OF these unfortunates were
cNhumed and were seen 10 bear the
marks OF the most aborinable mutt
lations.
Proposed Investigation.
Cardinal MERCER proposed To the
German authorities that thorough
investigation should be made of each \:
OF the cases mentioned by him. that
all parties should be heard and that /
the Investigation should be conducted
under the presidency of the American
minister 10 Belgium. No action has
been taken on this proposition
"All the statements of the white
book concerning alleged cruelties COM
mitted by Belgians against the GER
man soldiers are in striking contradic-
ton To the dispositions gathered by the
two commissions of inQuiry-the COM
mission presided over by NisCount /
Bryce and the Belgian commission
I'VE find ourselves. therefore. con-
fronted by two alternatives. ON the I
one hand we have
1.-THE solemn contradiction OF
the Belgian government, guaranteed
by the good faith OF that government.
OF which 70 gaze proof when on ac-
count OF respect for its plighted word.
il refused 10 violate a treaty which
Belgium had signed and chose the
horrors OF wEr rather than the break
ing OF its pledge. These declarations
are supported not only by this moral
guarantee, bit also by striking evil
dence.
Point 40 Evidence.
"2--The evidence collected by the
Belgian commission OF inquiry. which
IS composed OF the most eminent men
in Belgium.
"3-The evidence and the words OF
Niscount Bryce. who acknowledge
that he began the inquiry with doubts
as TO the possibilities OF such crimes.
and who was convinced by the evil
dence
4-Ihe avowal or their own crimes
by the German soldiers themselves as