The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-10

and judicious opinion could be based,
and one is 50 overwhelmed with the
horror OF the thing itself, that 1t mas
been and even now is difficult to write
calmly and justly about it.
in order to understand fully the
station it is necessary to go back
to the autumn Of 1871. AIT the time
we were organizing the relief work,
the Comitc National Belgian relief
organiZatioD proposed an arrange
ment by which the Belgian govern
ment should pay it's own employees left
in Belgium, ana other unemployed
men besides the wages they had been
accustomed to receive. The Eelgians
wished to do this both for humanitar-
ian and patriotic purposes; they wish
ed to provide the unemployed with
the means OF livelihood, and, at tAe
same time, to prevent their working
for the Germans. | refused to be con
nected in any way with this plan and
told the Belgian committee that 1t had
many possibilities OF danger; that not
only would it place premium on idle
ness, but that it would ultimately ex-
asperate the Germans. However, the
policy was adopted and has been con
tinued in practice, and on the rolls OF
the Ccmite National have been borne
the names of hundreds of thousands
some 100000, l beleve-of. idle men
receiving this dole, distributed
through the communes.
1.-THE presence OF these unemployed,
however, was a constant temptation
to German cupidity. Many times they
sought to obtain the lists of the chonlr
eurrs, (men on the payrolls) but were
always foiled by the claim that under
the guarantees covering relief work,
the records of the Comite National
and its various subOrganiaztiOns were
immune.
Rather than risk an interruption:
of revictualling, for which, while loath
to own any obligation to America, the
Germans have always been grateful,
since it has had the effect of keeping
the population calm, the authorities
never pressed the point other than
with the burgomasters OF the com
munes. " a. ..
Finally, however, the military par
ty, always brutal,ss and with an as
founding ign 0Eance Of public opinion
and of moral ssntinlent, determined to
put these idle men work.
General Won Kissing and the civil
portion of his encourage had always
been and even now are opposed to
this policy and TANK have sincerely
done what they could, first, to prevent
it's adoption and, secondly, to tighten
the rigors of its application" L..
With regard to the above by Whit
lock, the Germans had solemnly as
surCd Cardinal MERCER that young
Belgian men need not fear being for
ced into the German army or being
employed at forced labors. This was
in the autumn of 1914. All throug.i
I.1915 there were reported cases where
tthe military forced workmen to labor
in various factories in Belgium. La.
ter this was followed by an order
legalizing this and in October, 1916, a
brutal order was promulgated which
paved the way for the deportatiOns.
In his report, Whitlock continues:
''Then in August Hindenburg was
appointed to the supreme command
He is said to have criticized Won Liss.
ting's policy as too mild; there was a
FQuarrel; Won Kissing went to Berlin
TO protest, threatening to resign but
did not. He returned and q German
official here said that Belgium would
now be subjected to more terrible
regime would learn what war was
1.-The prophecy has been indicated. Re
fcently was told that the drastic
measures are really of LuIenforff's
inspirations; l do not know. Many
German officers say So"
y Nevertheless Kissing defended the
deportations, doing so openly in con
fyersation with f. G. Wa!cott, an Am