The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-12-16
ROOSEVELT ASSAILS
GERMAN ATROCITIES
Disregards Considerations of Pity, Mer-
cy, Humanity and Morality in
Enslaving Belgians.

NEW YORK, Dec. | Three thousand
persons, in mass meetings assembled in
Carnegie hall last night, called upon the
government of the United States to protest
with "all its force and earnestness" against
Germany's forced ensavement of Belgian
men, who, against the military fortunes
of their own country and over the pro-
tests of neutral nations, are being COM
PEELED to work within the German empire
The meeting was called to act on Car
dnal Mercier's recent appeal TO the civ
iized world. and at its conclusion spirited
resolutions were adopted
James NJ Beck, Eihu Root, Rev. Dr.
William T. Manning, Alton b. Parker
and Right Rev. Thomas Frank Gailor
Protestant Episcopal bishop Of Tennessee,
were the speakers at this meeting, and
there were read letters from Joseph II.
Choate, Colonel Roosevelt and others, de-
nouncing Germany's action. Mr. Roose-
velts letter was a particularly bitter at
tack Mr.. Root spoke extemporaneously.
Colonel Roosevelt declared that Ger
many has trampled under foot every de
vice of international law for securing the
protection of the weak and the unoffend-
ing and has shown an utter disregard
Of all considerations of pity, mercy, hu-
manity and international morality.
Il earnestly wish you all success in your
meeting the Colonel wrote, and all
Americans who are proud OF the good
name of their country and also have in
them the capacity for generous indigna
tion on behalf Of a foully wronged people,
must Join in hearty thanks to you and
your associates.
"Germany1s campaign OF method lcally
organized atrocities against the unhappy
Belgian people has eliminated in the
transplanting of over a hundred thousand
Belgian men into a condition OF state
slavery in Germany where their labor is
TO be used to aid in the conquest of their
fellow -countrymen. Similar transplantings
Of civilian non-combatants, both men and
women, into slavery in Germany, have al
ready occurred in northern France
This action is paralleled by the action
of the Assyrian conquerors of Syria and
Palestine; but until the present wal
broke out it was supposed that such hid
eous infamies were effectively checked by
the system of international law which has
grown up under modern Christian civil
zation
The outrages committed on our owr
people have been such as the United
States has never before been forced to en-
dure. and have included the repeated Kill
ing of our men, women and children. The
sinking OF the Marire. and the Chemunl
the other day, with the attendant mur
der of SIX Americans, was but the mos
recent in an unbroken chain Of injuries
and insults, which by comparison max,
mere wrong to our property interests sini
into absolute insgnitcanee.
AS long as neutrals keep silent, o.
speak apologetically, or take refuge in TIN
utilities of the professional pacihcists
there will be no cessation in these bru
talities But surely this last and crown
ing brutality, which amounts to the i'm
position of a cruel form Of state-slaver.
: on helpless and unoffending conquerc'
| nation, must make our people realize tha
/ they peril their own souls, that they de
grade their own manhood, if they do no
= bear emphatic testimony against the pei
| petration of such iniquity.
S Il am glad to be one among the Ameri
= cans who thus bear testimony.