El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-21
VIC 7 ORSS
EXPECT
To SEE
WASTE
Territory Gi0en Up By Ger
mans TO Be OF Lille Use
To Allies, Belief.
BIG INDEMNITY
IS FRENCH PLAN
Preparations Made To Force
Payment For Al Towns
Enemy Destroys.
BY CHARLES r. BERTILLk

- ARTS. FRANCE. April 31-A0
- British and French armies smash
= the German positions and ron
back the kaiser's hordeS. the fear %
rising that the invaders Will pill2ge
and lay in waste all the land they are
compelled 10 give up
II the Germans follow cut the sane
principles of warfars that they sstab-
Iished when they fell back On the Ar
ras-Aisns line. all OF northern France
occupied By the Germans, will Be LEFT
a bIackened desert OF death and wreck
age.
France Plans Collecting Indemnity.
Official action Is 20 be taken By tia
French government on the question az
damages resulting from the war. In
q speech IN the chamber Of deputies
Rene viviani. minister OF justice. re-
vealsd to a certain extent what these
claims Bin be.
"Ths war indemnity said 3Ir.
Viviani. should compensate repara-
ton and restitution with interest for
the actual amount Of damage suffered.
rectly TO the power responsible for the
sPoiliatiOn OF France"
The Able Wetterle, who was mem
Der Of the reichstag from Alsacs. buf
lieu -Ell4 AAG pLONl4Ea - me DG61--
ming OF the war. has Just written a
letter 70 deputy Maurice Barres. In
which he lays the situation before the
public very comprehensively.
Tells of Land Laid Waste.
7 have just seen terrible. dssolata
wastes beyond the power OF words to
describe or the brain 20 cohesive"
writes the cleric IN referring to the
ruin wrought by the Germans during
their retreat from Roye-
Houses have been ransacked and
put 70 the torch. whole villages have
been razed- The surrounding trees
fields have not escaped dstruction. for
in their centers have been placed
heavy charges Of dynamite which
tore great gaping holes. Let Us then.
Maeterlinck Of holding German cities
hostages for our own The Belgian
poet was thoroughly acquainted with
the Germans and knew they were as
cOwardly as they were cruel
Maurice Maeterlinck's idea was thaa
the allied governments should imme-
diately acequaint Germany with the
fact that for any damage done to the
cities Of France. Belgium or AlSacss
Lorraine a like fate would be melted
cut TO a German hostage city For
the safety Of Brussels, luxembourg
for Client. Essen for Lille Cologne
for Strassburg, Mannheim Or Mul.
hansen. Mayence for Metz. and 80 on
In this manner any destruction 70
a French. Belgian. Alsatian or Lo-.
raine city not absolutely necessary
and in accordance with the rules OF
modern warfare would be reproduced
in the hostage city" II Lilies ca
thedral we're wantonly shelled. or itz
town hall burned. the allies. IN the
end. would see to Il that both tbs
cathedral and town hall OF Essen Tera
put to the torch
According 10 the information
have just received from Aisace." con-
tinues the Able, the Germans are
preparing TO make off not only with
the precious collections Of our n1u-
seums and Libraries. but even with the
materials and machines OF our indus
trial plants and the archives Of our
government and administration
From this il is indeed to be feared
that when the kaiser's troops ara
forced TO retire from the country they
will put everything to sack and loot,
as they have done In ROye, Noyon,
Bapaume. Peronne and Combies Ger
many has sought to terrorize US She
must be terrorized in her turn At this
moment Prussian militarism stin DOM
mates the empire OF the Hohenzols
lerns and applies its barbarous prin,
ciples without control"