The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-05-12

y nave Deen aoduced TO prove this al
q although there may be cases
! which individual Belgians fired 0
/ the Germans, the statement that 9TH
Q whole civilian population of Belgiul
! was called out" is utterly opposed [
e the fact
AN invading army may be entitl
ed to shoot at sight every one caugh
redhanded, or any one who, thougl
no caught, redhanded, is proved gull
ty on inquiry. But this was not tn
practice used by the German troops
They do not seem to have made an,
inquiry. They seized the civilians O
the village indiscriminately and kill.
ed them. or such as they selected
from among them without the least
regard to guilt or innocence. The
mere crime civilisten haben geschos-
SEN was enough to hand over a whole
| village or district and even outlaying
| places to ruthless slaughter.
1--WE gladly record instances where
| the evidence shows that humanity
has not wholly disappeared from
members of the German army and
that they realized that responsible
head Of that organization were en-
ploying them not in war, but in butch
cry ! am merely executing orders.
and shoeld be shot if 1 did not ex-
ecute Them said an officer to wit
ness at Louvain. At Brussels an
other officer says: 4 have not done
one hundredth part Of what we have
been ordered to do by the high Ger
man military authorities
THAT these acts should have been
perpetrated on the peaceful popula-
tion of an unoffending country which |
was not at war with its invaders, but !
merely defending its own neutrality
guaranteed by the invading power.
may excite amazement and even in
1t was with amazement
and almost with incredulity that the
first read the depositions
relating to such acts But when the
evidence regarding Liege was follow
ed by that regarding Aershot, Lou
vain, Andenne, Dianant ana other
owns and villages, the cumulative
effect of such a mass of concurrent
estimony became irresistible and we
we're driven to the conclusion that
he things described had really hap II
ened. The question then arose now ,
hey could have happened. Not mere :
Military license, for the discipline or /
ne German is proverbially stringent, | b
nd its obedience explicit Not from III
ny special ferocity of the troops, for =
hoover has Travelled among the n
erman peasantry knows that they .
re kindly and good natured as any q
eople in Europe and those who can b
ecall the war of 1870 will remem- A
or that no charges resembling those Il
roved by these depositions we're "
zen established. The excesses re- ri
sntly committed in Belgium, were, "
borrower, too widespread and too al
Inform in their character to be mere u
'oradic outbursts Of passion of ra- &,
lcity. n,
Tine explanation seems to be that G.
ese eTcesses were commtted-in
me cases ordered in Others allowed OF
on a system and in pursuance of a tn
t purpose. That purpose was to HI
rike terror into the civil population gr
d dishearten the Belgian troops, so hi
to crush down resistance and ex-
lguish the very spirit of self de- ar
lse. The pretext that civilians fir va
upon the invading troops was SO
ed to justify not merely the shoot wi
3 of individual franc-tireurs, but WI
2 murder of large numbers of in en-
cent civilians, an act absolutely for &c
lden by the rules Of civilized war er
e. de
In the minds of Prussian officers re
r seems to have become a sort of ex
cred mission, one OF the highest yo
lctions Of omnipotent state, which gu
itself as much an army as a state me
iinary morality and the ordinary Gle
ltiment of pity vanish in its pres of
e. superseded by new standard tai
ich 1ustifies to the soldier every ev,
ans that can conduce to success. be,
veYer shocking to a natural senss ten
KE TWO-GAL THREE Ger
justice and humanity, however re-
ting to his own feelings. The spirit fer
war Is defied Obedience to the fire.
fe and It's war lcrd leaves no room VII
any other duty or feeling. Cruel sta
becomes legitimate when it prem nal
victory, Proclaimed b. the e
ds of the army, this doctrine cas-
i'd seem 10 have nermeated tho non