The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-12-15

long their exile is going to last, neither
do they know where they are going.
All they know is that their work will
benefit the enemy. Several OF them
have been brought to sign-by coer-
cion or by threats-an engagement
which they dare to call voluntary
while they certainly take the un-
employed, they also take O large num-
BERN the proportion OF one quarter
for the ACCOMPLISHMENT OF Mons-of
men who were never out Of work and
belonging to diversified professions
butchers, bakers, tailors. brewery
workers, electricians farmers: they
even take the youngest men, college
and university students, or young men
from other high schools.
This in spite of the fact that two
high authorities of the German en-
pire had formally guaranteed the lib
erty Of our compatriots.
The day after the capitulation of
Antwerp, the frightened populace
asked itself what would become of the
Belgians of military age or those which
would arrive at that age before the
end OF the siege. Baron Won Huene.
military governor OF Antwerp. author
lied me to reassure in his name the
frightened parents.
However as rumors were running
that in Antwerp, Liege, Namur and
Charleroi. young men had been seized
and forciblY carried off to Germany,
asked Governor Won Huene to con-
firm to me in writing the verbal guar
antees which he had given me. He re-
piled that the rumors pertaining to
deportations were without foundation,
and he gave me without hesitancy the
written declaration which was read
on Sunday, Oct. 18, 1914, in all the
parochial churches OF the Arrondisse-
ment Of Antwerp: Young men need
not fear Of being carried off to Ger
many, either for enrolment in the
army or for forcible employment.
Immediately after tn arrival OF
Baron Won der GoltE in the capacity
Of governor general at Brussels, I
went to ask him to ratify the guar
antees given by Governor Won Huene
TO the province of Antwerp, extend
ing them to the whole country, with
out any time limit. The governor gen
eral retained my petition In order to
consider 1t at his leisure. The follow
ing day he was good enough to come
in person to Malinos to express his
approval, and in the presence OF two
aides de- camp and Of my private sec
retary, to confirm the promise that the
liberty Of the Belgian citizens would
be respected.
"In my letter Of Oct. 16 last to Baron
Won Bissing, after reminding him OF
the undertaking given by his predec-
essor / concluded: Your exceliency
will understand how painful the burd-
en- of responsibility / should have In
Cured towards families would be IL
the confidence they placed in you
through me and at my earnest en-
treaty should be so lamentably disap-
pointed
"The governor general replied: The
employment Of the Belgian unemploy-
ed In Germany, which has only been
initiated after two years of war. diff
men Mt for military service. Moreover,
| the measure is not related to the con-
duct Of the war properly speaking. but
1t 10 determined by social and econ
omic causes ,.- a
"As If the word Of an honest man
was terminable at the end of a year
or two! AS If the declaration confirm
| ed IN 1914 did not explicitly exclude
both military operations and forced
labor! AS IL. in fact, every Belgian
workman who takes the place Of q
German workman. did not enable the
latter to fill a gap in the German
army! .....
1--WE, the shepherds of these sheep
who are torn from us by brutal force.
full of anguish, at the thought of the
moral and religious isolation, in which
| they are about to languish, impotent
witnesses of the grief and terror in
the numerous homes shattered or
| threatened, appeal to all souls, believ-
ers or unbelievers in allied countries
in neutral countries, and even in
enemy countries, who have q respect
for human dignity.
| When Cardinal Lavigerie embarked
| on his enslavery campaign Pope Leo
XIII, as he blessed his mission, re-
marked: Opinion is more than ever
the queen of the world. 1t is on this
you must work. You will only conquer
by means of opinion
/ May divine providence deign to in
spire all who have any authority, all
who are masters of speech and pen.
to rally around our humble Belgian
flag for the abolition of European
slavery.
May human conscience triumph
over all sophisms and remain stead
fastly faithful to the great precept of
/ ST. Ambrose; Honour above every
thing, Nihil praeferendum honestati. |.
4 "In the name of the Belgian bish
ops:
| (Signed) ID. j. CARDINAL MERCER,
i Archbishop of Malines."