Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-07-30
SAYS |NHUMAN
COMM TED
| BY THE GERMANS


PARIS, July 29.-Premier BRAND
addressed j. J. Jusserand the French
ambassador at Washington and the
other French representatives in neutral
countries directing them to present to
the governments TO which they are re-
spectively accredited note reading as
follows:
Il ask you to call the attention Of
the government to which you are ac-
credited to the treatment which the
populations of Lille, RombaiX and Tur-
Going have been subjected by the Ger
man authorities.
THE French government in the
presence Of revealed facts invokes the
application of Article Ill, of the Hague
convention concerning laws and Gus
toms Of conducting land warfare, to
the end that Germany be held re-
sponsible for violations Of these rules
by its armed forces.
Until a decision ny arms has per-
mitted the reconquering of these occu-
pied regions. the sole means Of making
these effective is by pressing an appeal
to the sentiments OF justice ana hu-
manity of neutral powers and the pub
lie opinion Of all nations.
Il, therefore. ask you in presenting
this note. TO ask the government to
give il the most serious attention as it
constitutes the protest of the French
government against the conditions
which it brings to the attention of the
civilized world, supported by testimony
from many sources.
! After rec.ting the efforts made by
( the government through the Spanish
government to stop the German prac-
/ tices in invaded regions, the document
adds:
To-day all our protests having been
4 in vain, we place the evidence before
( the eyes Of neutral powers assured Of
! the judgment that universal conscience
will pass upon such conditions and that
/ it will be incumbent on the German
I government. in case it undertakes 10
/ question this evidence. to permit an
! impartial inquiry. To cais end the Ger
man government must authorize the
neutral powers to conduct an invest-
! cation notably Of the events occurring
at Lille, Roubaix and Turcoing. and
surrounding communes from the 22nd
I to the 29th of April 1916. If they re-
fuse to authorize an inquiry, it vii
be a recognition of the yeracity of ths
facts denounced"
The note is accompanied by a mass
of testimony concerning the seizure a
work in fields of thousands of WomeI
and young girls. The document says
that the events which occurred at Lille
RoubaiX and Turcoing were only th'
application of the cruel system Of worl
forced on the population ana describes
the various forms of violence tn
! Germans are accused of having prac
ticed
The note says:
"A woman who was removed from
-. Ardennes, affilIns that her hus
band was shot for refusing to obe
: an order to requisition supplies AM
] that she herself was imprisoned fo
I two days
/ In F., Meurthe and Moselle, wor
assigned to the mayor being uncom
$ pleted in time, he was suspended fror
? tree by means of a rope passed unde
: his arms and he was left in this posi-
tion about an hour"
2 The note cites cases of men 20 I
= so years old made tS work, of wome
4 forced to labor under the fire of tn
e French troops and of others compelle
to dig trenches. 1t also makes chare
based on the testimony of a witness
that in October, 1914, the German
took from the department of Pas L
Calais party of inhabitants, tht
they used them as shields against th
= fire of the French and that forty wei
thus killed.
The document says the German goN
ernment on January "a, 1916, denie
mistreatment of INHABITANTS but say
the French note, Sworn testimony II
garding measures taken in April
Lille shows the degree of faith whiC
can be placed in their denial