The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-14

charge that the Germans shielded
themselves behind the bodies Of the ma
tives-a practice they have now re-
sumed in their march into Italy:
1.-THE Germans attacked Hougaerde
on August Is: the Belgian troops were
holding the Gette bridge in the village.
The Germans forced the parish priest
OF Autgaerden to walk in front of them
as a shield. AS they neared the bar
ricade the Belgian soldiers fired and
the priest was killed. After the re-
treat of the Belgians the Germans shot
four men. burned so houses and looted
1OO.''
For time the protests of neutral
nations and the outcries of a shocked
world seemed to COW the Germans. The
wholesale massacres, lootings and
burnings ceased. But in the winter of
1916 they perfected a new form of dew
iltry. Their own supply of labor de-
pleted, the Huns conceived the idea
of deporting Belgians and Frenchmen
to Germany to make them work for the
kaiser. in many instances actually
compelling them 70 labor in munition
ia ctOries.
On January Ii. 1917 while still in
Brussels--even though il was occupied
by the Germans-Whitlock made a re-
port to the state department saving
among other things.
Il have it in mind, and | might say,
on my conscience, since the Germans
began to deport Belgian workmen in
Novmeber to prepare for the depart
ment detailed report of this latest
/, instance of brutality. but there have
been so many obstacles in the way of
obtaining evidence on which n calm
and iudicious opinion could be based
and one is so overwhelmed with the
horror of the thing itself, that it has
been difficult to write calmly mad Justly
about it.
I'm order to understand fully the sit :
uation it is necessary to so back to the
autumn of 1914. At the time We were
organizing the relief work. the CONT,
national (Bel2ian relief organization
proposed an arrangement by which the
Belgian government should pay To its
own employees left in Belgium, and
other unemployed men besides, the
wages they had been accustomed to re
|oeive. The Belgians wished to do this
both for Humanitarian and patriot,
purposes; they wished to provide the
unemployed with the means OF liveli
hood and, at the same time, to prevent
their working for the Germans | re.
| fused to be connected IN any way with
this plan and told the Belgian com
mittee that it had many possiblitie.
of danger; that not only would it plac.
a premium on idleness. but that j
would ultimately eNasperate the Ger
mans. However, the policy was adopt
ed and has been continued in practice
and on the rolls Of the comite nation,i
have been borne the names of hun
dreds of thousands 700, 900. | be
lieve-of idle men receiving this dole
distributed through the communes.
The presence of these unemployed
however, was Il constant temptation t,
German cupidity. Many times the,
sought to obtain the lists of the cho
meurs tmen on the payrolls) but wer
always foiled by the claim that unde
the guarantees covering relief work
the records of the comite national am
it's various subnrganiZations were i'm
mne.
Rather than risk any nterruptio
of revictualling, for which, while Loaf
!, to own any obligation to America, tn
Germans have always been grateful
since it has had the effect of keepin
! the population calm, the authorize