Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-12-12
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inv MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wREl
London. Dec. 1.-THE Associated
Press has received from Amsterdam
an appeal to the American people
by the Holland section of the League
of Neutral States. The appeal is
signed by President Niemeyer and
Secretaries Delafaille and Walsh. 1t
follows;
Your president has said that
sooner or later a moment would
come when the war would make the
position of neutral nations unbear-
able. For us Hollanders that moment
has arrived; not through our own
sufferings. but because we cannot
longer passively contemplate the
ghastly suffering inflicted by Ger
many upon Belgium, our neighbor.
Condition Never Thought OF.
The eloquent protests of the Belgian
government and of the higher clergy
have acquainted you with the facts.
A glance at the section of The Hague
regulations of 1907, which deals with
the law of war on land will make 1t
obvious that the sole reason why the
prohibition of this modern slave
dealing was not included was because
no delegate imagined it could ever be
included. Indeed, one must turn to
the history Of the early ages of long
past centuries before international
law existed, to find a parallel to the
enslaving Of the Belgians. The Hague
regulations stipulate that the honor
and rights Of the family must be re-
spected, but the German govern
ment deliberately drags the Belgian
families apart.
Becomes More Horrible Daily.
ITO us this cruelty is more vivid
every day. Every day numbers of
fugitives, in spite of the deadly cleo
trio wire which the Germans have
erected along the frontier, succeeded
in escaping to the Netherlands. From
them we learn the painful details of
the unutterable despair of the women
and children who are left behind and
of the agonizing scenes which take
place when husbands, brother and
sons, dragged from their homes and
women folk, are packed into cattle
and freight cars and thus transported
slaves to an unknown destination and
to an unknown fate.
"To put an end to this-to arrest
this hellish scourge, which at this mo-
ment lacerates the whole of northern
France and western Russia-there isl
but one way open, and that is collect
i've action on the part of the neutral
nations.
Americas Leadership Asked.
"And for yor, citizens of the nigh
test of the neutral states, 1t is, in our
opinion, the right and duty to take the
leadership upon yourselves. only II |
you place yourselves at the head can
any success crown our efforts This
tyranny is not to be borne in patience,
and the neutral nations can no longer
stand idly by while in western Europe
the most primitive laws of humanity,
observed even by uncivilized races, |
are trampled under foot
eve appeal to you to urge your
government to energetic and decisive
action and TO call upon the other neu-
tral nations to rally around you.
That they will find faith and strength
in your leadership is evidenced by
the stream of messages expressive OF
sympathy and a desire to cooperate
which have reached us from the mo
ment we published our intention to
make this appeal to the American
people. We do not hesitate to take
III upon ourselves to speak with firm
conviction in the name Of humanity,
and our hope is firmly fixed on that
sense Of justice which always ha
formed one Of the most cherished ira
ditions Of citizens of the United
States. Americans, we are convinced
that you will not disappoint our eA
pectations'