New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-15
MIRMAN AND "MES ENFANTS"

because ne had respected The las under ~
ing conditions, asked that this Mayor should
be decorated, end the French government ts.
creed for hin the cross Of the Legion o.
Honor. He was rewarded n this way, tsl
for having carried OFT criminal violence s'
cording to the German method, bat, on Tie
contrary, for preventing, By coolaea an:
| force Of will, reprisals made against ensnJ
prisoners.
"By these examples, and could cite ns'I
others, you will be able 70 estimate the it'''
with which the Preach began the war.
"The French in more than one in'tsuo
have run against not armies, bat verih5h
bands organized for crime. ! say 'orgs''
ized.' and that is the significant fact IL
war when individual accidental excuses an
committed tragic situations, to be sure, sns
but we ought not to conclude that We hs"
found ourselves face to face With genera
organization of cruelty and destruction
"In the townships OF which | am speakirs
It is by the order Of the heads tbs, ~
crimes have been committed. They are u"
the crimes of individuals: there has been
genuine organization of murder.
Adding childishness 70 violence, vita
craving for the hstrionic. obsessed By !"
desire to strike the Imagination (cr let u
say more simply having the souls OF ei's'
tins), these outlaws have conceived w
bombardment of Nancy by $50 cannon .,
the lst Of January-New Years the dv
gifts-and on the ist OF July. In na y"
Year bombardment they so arranged II W
the frst shell fell on Nancy at the last 'tf'"
of midnight. | will show the little furni'''
house which that shell crushed, hlhns
persons, OF whom four were women.
"For long while We were content 70 W,
fer those crimes. protesting in the name
the law. We did not wish TO deieha W.
selves. We shrank from the thought ~
prisals. But public opinion ended BY i0''','
the hand of the government. Unsnim'''V
the nation has demanded that each un'
undefended French town is bomoaroe'
the Germans by aeroplane, Zeppelin .,
non a reply shall be made to that v'0'N. I,
of the laws of war and OF the ngnS
humanity by the bombardment OF s Oe'@''
town. 4.
81 wish TO say to you, and beg WV
make it known to your noble nation.
rot with serenity that we see our
soldiers do that work. Il is with PfV"
sadness that we resign ourselves 10 Wv.
reprisals. Those methods Of defence s''
posed upon US. Since all consideration
humanity are to-day alien TO the W.
soul, we are reduced for the pFo'eeu'-
our wives and our children 70 the p'''"
reprisals and 10 the assassination |" -.
turn Of the children and the women -
many. The Germans have voehefoO'" al.
ioiced in the crimes committed by us" q.
diers; they have made an illumins"', .w
the day Of the Lusitania crimei s"s' -, Il
delighted in the thought that on n' ~
January the children of Nancy re-. ga "a.
New Years presents shells from ' an
non. The acts OF reprisal 10 WHICH 40
forced do not rejoice Us In the 'ess'. M
sadden us. We speak of them VIZ ,...s
moss. And we have here reason io' ~
Kultur all the more: We French a',.w
Germans less for the crimes which ~. 1,.l,,s
committed on us than for the acts OF IN
contrary to the laws Of war when ~. ar b.
forced y. 10 commit in our turn, and -, 20.
reprisals on their children and then 70
81 thank you for having come h. "...,icsA
will look about you. you will ASK rs., trsa
you will easily see Che truth .,d ~
you will make known to your s's. $500 ~ T
nation. We shall await with e0A' \
Judgment of its conscience - }