The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-11-01

| no" luey TREATED one bEluSn OTIlcer,
which is by no means an isolated case.
For-this not to me, but in Colonel
Vandeleur's statement TO the British
war Office-he tells of a car ahead of
his where, the men being threatened
with suffocatiOn. they hammered 50
madly on the walls of the car that at
last carpenter was brought, who cut
a small round hole for air.
VIOLATED HAGUE CONVENTION.
Let us see for a moment what the
Belgians had right to expect from
the invading army, considering Bel.
gium not neutral but enemy territory
Germany had subscribed to The
Hague convention, that gentlemans
agreement between nations which was
designed, since wars seemed inevi-
table, TO make for fairness and de,
cency. BY Article 46> Of that conven-
tion Belgium, as enemy territory, has
this claim:
"Family honor and rights. individ,
ual life, and private property, as well
as religious convictions and worship
must be respected.
"PrivG,e property may not be con,
fiscated."
Article %:
"The giving over to pillage of a
town or place, even when taken by
assault, is forbidden.
'In sieges and bombardments all
necessary steps must be taken to
spare, as far as possible, buildings ded-
icated to public worship, art, science,
or charitable purposes, historic mOnu-
ments, hospitals, and places where
the sick and wounded are collected
provided they are not being used at
the time for military purposes"
That is what Belgium had q right
to expect. What she has had, in wan
ton destruction of historical mOnu-
ments, we know. That is what France,
too, had right to expect, and what
she got, that also we know.
But The Hague convention did more
than order the protection of cities and
noncombatants: 1t ordered such hu-
|
posing army; it forbade the use of
poison or poisoned weapons the say
ing that no quarter would be given,
the killing of men who had Surren-
dered, the use of arms, material or
proiectiles calculated to cause unnec
essary suffering; it forbade the attack
or bombardment by any means what
ever Of undefended towns, villages,
dwellings or buildings.
On every one of these counts Ger
many must plead guilty. Every viola.
tion Of them is one reason why we are
at war.
WHY WE ARE AT WAR.
We are at war today not because
the crown prince of Austria was killed
in Serbia but because the German
army protected its advance with non
cOmbatants-men, women and children.
We are at war today not because
German submarines sunk battleships
but because they have sunk and are
sinking peaceful vessels, little fishing
boats, when the fishermen were labor
ing to get a scant livelihood, and
great unarmed passenger ships car
rying nOncOmbatants-men women,
and children.
We are at war because of those citi-
zens of conquered Belgium who died
protecting their women.
We are at war because Of that Ger
man order Of August "a, 1914, for
frightfulness.
We are at war against the convic-
tion, in German minds, that might is
right, that the end justifies any means,
no matter how brutal.
We are clean and humane people.
We would not believe these things at
first. A million and half Belgians
fled to England with the story. We
were still incredulous. Noncombatants
were sunk at sea. We still felt there
must be some justification. New and
ever new cruelties of death came from
the German trenches, and we have
said: "This is modern war"
But the score is mounting higher
day by day. The politics of this war
are lost in its inhumanities, fathered
by German skill. 1t was not enough
that men should die. They must die
horribly.
We have never understood. We
have been people of ideals, confront
ing a nation of Grass matcrialists. 1t
is time for us to understand. But it is
not time, and never will be time, for
the American people to stOop to the
methods of an enemy which would
again today, if the necessity arose,
protect it's advance by the helpless
forms Of old men, of women and of
children.
1t is well for us to pause for mo-
ment to look back on these things |
We were skeptical at first, but time
has shown their truth, for they are
of a piece with the things that have
happened since. They belong with |
the Lusitania and the little fishing |
boats. With the attacks on London.
With liquid fire.
We are Il people of homes. Politics
means little to us; the Quarrels Of
Europe nothing. But here is an enemy
which has marched over the homes
of a nation and wantonly destroyed
them. Here is an enemy that took
the women and children out of these
homes and with that pitiful advance
guard, drove ahead. again and
again innocent civilians of both sexes
were sacrificed to protect the invading
army"