South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-12
.BELG|ANS SLAVES,
CLAIMS HOLLAND
Appeal is Made to American
People to Protest Ger
many'S Action.

LONDON. Dec 12-An appeal
TO the American people" by the
Holland section of the League OF
Neutral States has been received.
The appeal is signed by Pres't
Niemeyer and sec'ys Delafille and
Walch. 7, follows:
Your president has said that
sooner or later a moment would
come when the war would make the
position OF neutral nations unoear-
able. For us Hollanders that time
has arrived; not through our own
sufferings, but because we cannot
longer passively contemplate the
CHASTITY suffering inflicted by Ger
many upon Belgium. our neighbor.
The eloquent protests of the Bel
gian 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 it obvious TO you
that the sole reason why the prohi-
bition of this modern slave dealing
was not included was because no
delegate imagined il could ever be
necessary.
Calls Is Slavery.
Indeed one must turn to the his
tory of the early ages of long past
centuries before international law
existed to find a parallel to the en-
shaving of the Belgians. The Hague
regulations stipulate that the honor
and rights of the family must be
respected. but the German govern
men deliberately drags the Belgian
families apart To US this cruelty is
more vivid every day. Every day
numbers Of fugitives. in spite of the
deadly electric wire which the Ger
mans have erected along the from
tier, succeed in escaping 10 the
Netherlands. From them we learn
the painful details of the unutter-
able despair of the women and
children who are left behind and OF
the agonizing scenes which take
place when husbands. brothers and
sons dragged from their homes and
womenfolk. are packed into cattle
and freight cars and thus trans
ported as slaves to an unknown
destination and TO an unknown fate
ITO put an end to this-to arrest
this hellish scourge, which at this
moment lacerates the whole OF
northern France. and western Rus
sia-there is but one way open and
that is collective action on the part
of the neutral nations.
L. :. as Leader.
And for you, citizens of the
mightiest of the neutral states. it is
in our opinion the right and duty
to take the leadership upon you. Only
il you place yourselves at our 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 primi-
tive laws Of humanity, observed
even by uncivilized races. are
trampled under foot.
I'VE appeal TO YOU TO urge YOU
government to energetic and deci'
sive action and to call upon the
other neutral nations to rally around
YOU. That they will find faith anC
strength in your leadership is evi-
denced by the stream of message:
expressive of sympathy and a de.
sire TO cooperate which have
reached us from the moment We
published our intention to make
this appeal to the American peo-
pie We do not hesitate TO take j
upon ourselves to speak with firm
conviction in the name of human
ity. and our hope is firmly fixed or
that sense of justice, which has al
ways formed one of the mos
/ cherished traditions of citizens OF
the United States. Americans. w,
are convinced, that you will no
/ disappOint our expectations"