The herald., 1917-11-15

keG sake of Belgium? For IN,
Y. " ancient law among nations
- that the word of Il people
~ Is its oath? Perhaps FOR all
.hom Perhaps. too, because We
la not keep out. We tried. What,
Wv" may have been our record in the
..st !, can never be- said Of Us that
p p brorcht this war on ourselves or
,Sot we failed 10 IL" every honorable
-.o.tod 10 keep out Of the death grip
+Fnropo. If We were Tong in coming
y nrr decision. fl was because W" re-
-,,npd incredulous. We we're asked
!. hs,isye something that was hard to
believe.
Sove waited and hoped and stressed
u-o-v roInt Of international law 10 the
h,osking point because Of this thing
go would not believe. We were II
,,.sn and humane people. We can I'M
de-s,and individual cruelty. W" have
had sad experiences Of the hySt"ria Of
,-ouds But We cannot understand.
end today we hardly credit, the cruelty
% q government.
We have ourselves constructed &
government that Is dlgnifed, just, slow
70 wrath. and humane.
PM for three years conviction has
bsen growing among Us that one Of the
nations in the world war is none Of
those thincs-not dignificd. not just.
not humane. Had Ga:many'S crueltirs
ceaspd with Belgium. she might in time
have made her case before the world.
For three years in that wretch"d Coun-
try she has been covering her tracks.
But Germany has bungled. She has
Gsclalmed frightfulnesS In Belgium
only to bring 1t home TO the world at
hrrp. She has introduced into war
FIRE such crueltieS Of killing. such IN
human methods, such destruction, such
nutempt Of the laws OF war az have
vet the world pale with horror. She
has added hate 10 the vocabulary Of
var, and hatred is contagiOn.
Yes, perslStently and In the face Of
he evidence she has diSClaimed the
,rOcitieS In Belgium. She has been
Wiling to shoulder the sinking of
women and children IN unarmed ships.
She is proud Of the invention of poison
uses and of liquid fire. She believes
that the Smelling Of unfOrtifed cities
and the use Of the submarine against
helpless fishing boats will, on her in
ltative, be accepted by the next Hague
convention as ethical and legal.
But she continues to disclaim the
,trocitles In Belgium. Why should she
noti The thousands who died in pro-
iecting the advance Of her army. the
ether thousands who were shot with
out inquiry against the brick walls of
cptured towns, those men who were
ayoneted while trying to protect their
women from the assaults OF drunken
soldiers, the little children whose bod
is lay unburied by the roadside-none
them will ever tell the story.
ATROCITIES ON RECORD.
The atrocities in Belgium are true.
fhey are matters Of record. German
Sldiers themselves have set down the
aetails In the diaries their government
ave them. / have read some of those
DIARIES. Not all German soldiers
nrned into beasts in Belgium. There
IRE some who record that the horrors
nekened them. 1t is not true that the
herman government ordered assaults
90 women. But It did order looting
mo arson and wholesale murder.
Inc result Of that order for looting
vas a mob Of drunken men, whose VIC
uns Today I'LL great graves.
ms is terrible accusation to bring |
'sainst a people. Yet l know the |
.lns OF which l speak. During the |
iS year Of the war I went TO that |
"ruon OF Belgium which remained I'M
Daquered. There l law men, officers
ssn 10 the Belgian army, who had |
1enseives seen that Infamous advance
fO'ected BY their own people-old
sea' women carrying children, small
pf,S sturdy boys, with death behind
iad death ahead.
Twas impossible not 10 believe. The
Neuinuiation Of evidence was too
seat The German army had come
r~ Deigium prepared for opposition.
.ney brought fire confetti, which they
~ ,u.o The houses while they were
up'ed More than one German
s.a 10y 'eis Of the shooting Of the in
nnu a. they tried to escape.
,,s saAen German soldiers firing their
s.a 'eu sober ones to believe the
s'a POPULATION was rising although
=. = Known they had no weapons,
~. OF more leading citizens were
- slthout hearing. Women were
1~eied In public places.
out even here there was a chance
\ Smany, She could say-and
% said-she did not order these
- although she did order the
~ as OF hostages without inquiry,
-, que Old order the looting which
s,s IN drunkenness and its thou
-. &c Resulting brutal crimes.
n.SIso ON ONE COUNT.
A.. % one count Germany must
80 world, must be tried and SELF
ii VIZ no possibility Of acquit-
s,. cue Protected her advance with
ny,., before me on my desk the
a.. copy Of an interview with
q, nng Of the Belgians, during
=, a winter Of the war. Much that