New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1916-11-14

SLAVERY FORCED ON
UNHAPPY BELGIUM
Cardinal MERCER Protests Against
Deportation Of Her Best Men

| London, Nov. 14-Cardinal MERCER
Primate Of Belgium, has issued a pro-
test to the civilized world against the
| for forced labor.
The protest is dated Nov. 7. and is
| signed by Cardinal MERCER in behalf
Of all the Belgian bishops except the
Bishop of Bruges, with whom he was
| unable to get in touch.
Among the principal passages con-
tanned in Cardinal Merciers protest
are the following which the Echo
Beige will publish today according to
a Reuter- dispatch from Amsterdam:
1.-The military authorities are daily
deporting thousands of inoffensive cit
liens In order to set them to forced
| labor.
GAS early as Oct. 10 we sent a pro-
test to the governor-g general, a copy
of which was also sent to the repre-
sentatives in Brussels of the Holy
See, Spain, the United States, and the
Netherlands. The governor-general,
in reply, refused to take any steps,
All Men Like Slaves.
"At that time the ordinances only
threatened unemployed men, Today
all able-bodied men are carried off
pell-mell penned up in trucks and
deported to unknown destinations,
like slave gangs.
1.-THE enemy proceeds by regions
Vague reports have reached us that
arrests have been made successfully
at Journal, Client and Alost, but we
were unaware of the circumstances.
Between Oct "a and the beginning
of November the enemy operated in
the regions Of Mons, Quievrain, st.
Ghislain, and Jemappes. from 500 to
1900 men being rounded up daily.
Tomorrow and the following days he
intends to fall on the Nivelles Ar
rondisement.
"A poster orders all males to pre-
sent themselves at Nivelies on Nov. 8,
provided with Identification and regis
tration cards. They are permitted to
bring only small handbag. Clergy
men, doctors. barristers, and school
masters are exempt Burgomasters
are held responsible for the execution
of the order. There is an interval of
twenty-four hours between the post
ing of the order and deportation.
"Under the pretext Of the necessity
to carry out public works on Belgian
soil, the occupying power had tried
to obtain from the communes lists of
workmen, which the ma
jority Of the communes proudly re-
fused to give.
"Three DEGREES of the governor-gen-
eral paved the way for the blow which
was struck us today. The first, issued
Aug Is. 1915. ordered forced labor
for the unemployed under pain Of i'm
and a fine. but it stated
that it was only a question of work
in Belgium. The second, issued May
2, gives the German authorities the
right to provide work for the unem-
ployed, any unauthorized person Civ
ing work being liable to three years
and a fine Of 1000
marks. The third decree, issued May
13, authorized the governors and mil
itary commanders to issue orders for
the unemployed to be forcibly taken
to places for work.
'It was already a matter of forced
labor for Belgium Today it is no
longer question of forced labor in
Belgium, but in Germany for the
Germans benefit.
Reply to Won Kissing.
cat first the Germans tried to give
their measures an air of plausibi
by alleging that the unemployed
people in Belgium were dangerous to
public order and a burden to official
charity. I replied to Governor Won
Kissing that he himself knew we'll
that public order was in no way en-
dangered and that the unemployed
made no demands on official charity.
"In his answer Won Kissing aban-
doned his previous argument and al
legged that, first, the mere fact Of
widespread unemployment tends to
burden finances, and, second: pro-
1ongation Of unemployment will re-
suit in the workers losing their tech
nical skill.
ITO this I replied: There are other
ways of protecting Belgian finances.
For example, spare us the war leVieS
which have reached a total of a mil