The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-10
GERMAN DEEDS OF
FRTGHTFULNESS
ARE REVIEWED In
OFFICIAL RECORD.
Government Department of
Public Information Pub
fishes Indictment
ATROCITIES PART
OF DELIBERATE PLAN
Whitlock and Hoover Are
Among the Contributors
To New Book

Washington, Dec. 10, (Special)-
Some OF the BLACKLIST pages In all
history, comprising a documentary
record of deeds that make one
despair of the future Of the human
race" are found in a book named
German War Practices" which has
just been issued at the government
printing office by the Committee on
Public Information for free distribu-
ton. It is edited by Prof. d. G.
Munro, of Princeton and other
scholars.
The dumbfounding evidence which
this book presents to the jury OF
mankind is drawn mainly from Ger
man and American sources and in
cludes official proclamations and ut
terances of the responsible heads of
the imperial German government,
letters and diaries OF German SOL
diers, quotations from German news
papers, and material drawn from the
archives of the state department
which lay bare the story Of incon-
ceivable German atrocities.
Purpose of Book.
The purpose Of the book is to show
that the system Of frightfulness, it
self the greatest atrocity, is the
definite policy of the German gov
eminent, so sinister that German
soldiers have themselves at times
revolted. Individual acts Of wanton
cruelty and barbaric destruction are
cited only to illustrate the operation
Of the remorseless system.
The book supplements the Bryce
report which was the first official
survey of the path OF horror, ruin,
and death left by the German army
on the lands of innocent and defense
less people. The book Is supple
mental also to the official reports by
the Belgian commission and the
French minister Of foreign affairs,
and it reveals more of the damntng
German war philosophy as express
ed in the German White Book ana
various official utterances, extenuat-
ing revolving crimes on the grounds
of expediency and the. advancement
of that "Kultur" which now mocks
it's own name throughout the civiliz-
ed world. The. humanity OF German
soldiers was so torn by the system
Of brutality that they cried out In
letters to Ambassador Gerard, one
expressing his protest against the
slaughter of the Russians in the
Masurian lakes and swamps by say
ing. "There is no God, there Is no
morality, and no ethics any more
there are no human beings any more,
but only beasts"
j. WhitIoeks Contribution.
The Illuminating reports OF Brand
WhitlocS. minister to Belgium, tell
Of miseries indicted upon the Belgian
people, Mr. Whitlock saying: "One
is SO overwhelmed with the horror
of the thing itself, that it has BEEN
and even now is, difficult to Write
ealmly and justly about It,"
Herbert Hoover, writing Tor TINS
book of his experiences In Belgium,
says: 1.-THE sight of the destroyed
homes and cities, the widowed and
fatherIess. the destitute, the physical
misery of the people but partially
nourished at best. the deportation or
men by tens of thousands to slavery
in German mines and factories, the
execution of men and women Tor
paltry illusions Of their loyalty 70
Their. country, the sacking OF every
resource through financial robbery,
the fattening of armies on the slender
produce of the country, the denuda-
ton of the country of cattle, horses,
and textiles; all these things we had
to witness, dumb to help other than
by protest and sympathy, during this
long and terrible time, and stun
these are not the events OF battle
heat, but the effects of grinding
heel of a race demanding the mas
tership of the world. All these Things
are known to the world-but what
can never be known is the dumb
agony of the people, the expression"
less faces of millions whose souls
have passed the whole gamut OF
emotions. And why? Because these,
a free and democratic people, dared
plunge their bodies before the march
Of autocracy."
Devastated Poland.
Frederick c. waIcott's description
of devastated Poland comprehends
the monstrous woes inflicted by the
Prussian system upon those defense
In q statement prepared for the
book, Vernon Kellog said: I went
into Belgium and occupied France
q neutral. and / maintained while
there a steadfastly neutral behavior,
but I came out no neutral.
went in also q hater of war, but
came out a more ardent hater or
war; but, also came out with in
eradicable conviction, again, that the
only way in which Germany under
its present rule and in its present
state of mind can be kept from doing
what it has done is by force OF
arms"
The book gives excerpts from the
diaries of German soldiers Of which
these are specimens: "In the night
OF August 1919 the village of Saint
Maurice was punished for having
fired on German soldiers by being
burnt to the ground by the German
troops. The village was sur
rounded, men posted about a yard
from one another, so that no one
could get out. Then the Uhlans set
FIRE to il house by house; neither
man, woman, or child could escape'
only the greater part Of the livestock
we carried of. as that could be used.
Anyone who ventured to come out
was shot down. All the inhabitants
left in the village were burnt with
"A horrible bath of blood. The
whole village burnt, the French
thrown into the blazing houses,
civilians with the rest"
Was Definite Policy.
That the reign OF frightfulness
was the definite policy of the Ger
man government is testified to by an
amazing collection OF documents and
utterances OF German officlaldom.
Herewith are excerpts from docu-
mentary proof furnished by German
records establishing the truth beyond
question:
"As soon as you come 70 blows
with the enemy he will be beaten.
No mercy will be shown! No prison
ers will be takenl AS the Huns.
under King Attila, made a name for
themselves, which IS still mighty In
traditions and legends today. may
the name OF Germany be so flxed in
China by your deeds. that no
Chinese shall ever. again dare to look
at a German aslxance. Open
the way for Kultur once for ALL
From the Kaiser's speech to the sol-