davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-04-04

day.
Edgar Ellis went to Springwater
Saturday, where he will work this
summer.
Harold Hallman, Knute Aakre,
and Chauncey Miller. took in the
church fair at the NJ. E. church in
DEBORAH Saturday evening.
DR.. Lakeland will conduct services
here next Sunday at o'clock. Sun
day school at 2 o'clock. All are urg-
ed to attend both services.
Frank Knight who has spent the
past two months here with his moth
er, Mrs. A. Ruffridge left Monday
last week for his home in Alliance,
Neb.
Mrs. L. Coughlin has been quite
sick for several days but is some
what better at present
Mrs. f. Brakeman of DEBORAH is
guest at the d. II. Leach home at
present.
Mrs. A. X. Sweitzer returned Fri
day from a few days visit with
friends in Lanark. Ed Sweitzer ac-
lcompanied her home for few weeks
visit here.
Mr.. and Mrs. r. Brown and chill
dren of DEBORAH, were Sunday WIS.,
itors with the formers parents, Mr..
and Mrs. w. Brown.
Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur Crane from
near DEBORAH spent Sunday with
F'reeport friends.
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

ties Of danger; that not only would it
place a premium on idleness. but that
It would ultimately exosperate the Ger
mans However, the policy was adopted
and has been continued in practice, and
on the rolls Of the Comite National
have been borne the names Of hundreds
Of thousands-some 100000 l be-
lieve-of idle men receiving this dole
distributed through the communes.
THE presence Of these unemployed,
however, was q constant temptation to
German cupidity. Many times they
sought to obtain the lists Of the choHs-
eurs imen on the payrollsl but were
always foiled by the claim that under
the guarantees covering relief work, the
records of the Comlte National and its
various suborganizations were Immune.
Rather than risk any interruption Of
revictualing. 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 communes.
Finally, however, the military party,
always brutal, and with an astounding
ignorance of public opinion and Of
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

moral sentiment, determined 10 put
these Idle men TO work.
General Won Bissing and the civil
portion Of his encourage had always
been and even now are opposed to this
policy and think have sincerely done
what they could. nrst. 10 prevent lts
adoption and, secondly, to tighten the
rigors Of lts application"
With regard TO the above By Whit
lock, the Germans had solemnly as
sured Cardinal Mercier that young Bel
glan men need not fear being forced
into the German army or being EN-
ployed at forced lsbors This was IN
the autumn Of 1914 All through 1915
there were reported cases where the
military forced workmen to labor in
various factories In Belgium. Later this
was followed by an order legalizing
this and in October. 1916, a brutal or
der was promulgated which paved the
way for the deportations.
In his report, Whitlock continues;
"Then in August Hindenburg was ap-
pointed TO the supreme command. He
is said to have criticized Won Bissing' s
policy as too mild; there was a quar-
rel Won Bissing went to Berlin to pro-
test, threatened TO resign, but did not.
He returned and a German official here
said that Belgium would now be sub
iected TO a more terrible regime
WOULD LEARN WHAT WAR WAS
THE PROPHECY HAS BEEN NINDl-
GATED. Recently ! was told that the
drastic measures are really Of Luden-
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

by any band Of savages, Is described
by the Bishop OF Namur himself
zone scene surpasses in horror all
others: 10 is tho fusillade Of the Rock
Bayard near Dinant. Il appears to have
been ordered by Colonel Meister This
fusinade caused the death of nearly 90
persons without distinction of age or
sex. Among tho victims were babies In
arms, boys and girls, fathers and moth
ers Of families, even old men.
1T was there that ~ children under
the age Of six perished from the fire OF
tho executlOners, six Of them as they
lay In their mothers arms:
"The child Fievet, 3 weeks old.
Maurice Betemps, II months old.
Nelly Pollet, # months old.
zelda IenOn. iS months old.
"Gilda MarchOt, years old.
CLARA Struvay, two years and six
months.
THE pile Of bodies comprised also
many children from 10 A years.
Eight large families have entirely dis
appeared -Four have but one survivor.
Those men that escaped death-and
many Of whom were rlddled with bull
A ] IN~-MfIt UuMktu 10 nNA iA a EhAh~
mary and hasty fashion their fathers,
mothers, brothers or sisters; then af-
ter having been relieved Of their money
and being placed In chains, they were
sent 10 Cassel Prussia"
Whitlock also touches upon the hor-
rors at Louvain, saying
"On Thursday. August q, order was
given to the inhabitants TO leave Lou
vain because the city was 10 be bonn
harded Old men, women. children, the
I sick, priests. nuns were driven on the
roads like cattle More than 10000 were
driven as far as Tlrlemont, IS kilome-
ters from Louvain."
our Belgian Minister confirms tn,
charge that the Germans shielded them
selves behind the bodies Of the natives
IA practice they have now resumed ir
their march into Italy:
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 barri-
cade the Belgian soldiers fired and the
priest was killed. After the retreat Of
the Belgians the Germans shot four
men, burned 30 houses and looted 100.
For a time the protests Of neutral
nations and the ouicries Of q shocked
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

dorfrs inspiration; do not know. Many
German officers say So"
Nevertheless Blssing defended the
deportatlons. doing 50 openly In a con-
yersation with F. @. wslcott. an Amer
lean banker, who was working TO
amellorste conditions in Belgium and
Poland.
whitlock gives this picture Of the ac-
tusl deportstions:
They began In October at Client and
at Bruges, as my brief kilograms indi-
Gated The policy spread; the rich In
dustrisl districts OF Hainaut, the mines
and steel works about Charleroi were
next attacked; now they are selling
men in Brabant, even in Brussels, de-
spite some indications and even pre-
dictions Of the civil authorities that the
policy was about to be abandoned.
During the last fortnight men have
been impressed here In Brussels, but
their seizures here are made evidently
with much greater care than in the
provinces, with more regard for the
appearances. There was no public an
nouncement Of the Intention TO deport
but suddenly about ten days ago GER
tain men in towns, whose names are ON
the list Of chomeurs, received summons
notifying them TO report at given day
penalties were fixed for failure to re-
spond to the summons and there was
printed on the card an offer OF en-
ployment by the German government
e'ther in Germany or in Belgium. On
the first day, Of about 1900 men or
Evening journal., 1917-12-10
BRAND WHITLOCK'S OFFICIAL STORY
special Dispatch nom
MILTON BR0NNER,
OF Our Washington Bureau.

c. Dec ioBsad whitck American minister to Bel
with the crimes Of
shields their
sroops and depoins
IN Germany.
His reports sn Brussels file
the They add the last temonyh proof
all the based
heou the unamd imagination Of hostile
officers They did not
want propaganda stories Washington wanted to
know what wasg gons o n
wo reported the with as much accuracy as was possible for
legation the
the victims Of the Huns passed
For been locked they
Practices issued
by Public Information and edited by Prof D.
o Princeton University.
the
before
Dnant without the least
ndnumber Of tho victims not known
be who shot NJ DE-
FoIN mayor NnniER 7o
PoNcELET who executed in the
LEON NCNSE, two
oidn
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

dered to present themselves at the Care
du Midi. about $50 responded. These
were examined by German physicians
and 900 were taken. There was no dis
order, a large force OF mounted Uhlans
keeping back the crowds and barring
access TO the station TO all but those
who had been summoned 10 appear
"The Commission for Relief IN BEL
gium had secured permission to give 10
each deported man loaf Of bread. and
some Of the cOmmunes provided warm
clothing for those who had none and,
BRAND-MUST-GAL THREE 80. ....
In addition, small financial allowance.
"As by one OF the ironies Of life,
the winter has been more excessive.
" cold than Belgium has ever
known IL, and while many Of those
VINO presented themselves were ade-
quately protected against the cold,
many OF them were without over
coats. The men, shivering from cold
and fear, the parting from weeping
wives and children, the barriers Of
brutal Uhlans, all this made the
scene "A pitiable and distressing one.
1.-THE rage, the terror, the despair ex-
cited by this measure all over Belgium.
were beyond anything we had wit
messed since the day the Germans
poured into Brussels The delesates OF
the Commission for Relief IN BELGIUM
returning to Brussels, told the most
distressing stories Of the scenes Of
cruelty and sorrow attending the
Cont nued on Page IL
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

"JULES MONIN and others were shot
In the cellar Of their brewery; CANllL-
LIE PISTTE and his son, aged a.; PHIL
LIPART PIEDFORT, his WIFE and
DAUGHTER: MISS MARSIGNI.
"During the execution OF about forty
inhabitants Of Dlnant, the Germans
placed before the condemned their
wives and children. II Is thus that
Madame Ain, who had Just given birth
TO a child three days previously, was
brought on q mattress by German sol
dlers 10 witness the execution Of her
husband; her cries and supplications
were so pressing that her husbands
life was spared
"On the 26th day Of August German
soldiers entered various streets Of
Louvain and ordered the inhabitants Of
the houses to proceed to the Place de
Ia Station, where the bodies Of nearly
a dozen assassinated persons were ly-
ms
& women and children had 70 witness
the execution Of many Of their fellow
citizens who were for the most part
shot at the side of the square. The
women and children. after having re-
NAMED on the square for more than
IS hours, were allowed 10 depart.
"Threa Gardes Civiques OF Louvain
were taken prisoners and sent to Ger
many to the camp Of Muenster, where
they were held for several weeks
zone Of the most sorely tried COM
munities was that Of the little village
OF Tamlnes down in what is known as
the Borinage, the coal fields Of Char
leroI
"Tamines is a mining village, a col
lection OF small cottages sheltering
about 5000 inhabitants, mostly all poor
laborers The little graveyard, in which
the church stands, bears It's mute
testimony 10 the horror OF the event
There are hundreds OF new-mad'
graves, each with It's small woodeI
cross and It's bit of flowers; thl
crosses are so closely huddled that ther'
"a scarcely room 10 walk between them
They are alike and all bear the same
date. THE SINISTER DATE or AUG
%, 1914.
but whether their hands were cut
on or not. whether they were impaled
on bayonets or not, children were shot
down by military order in cold blood.
In the awful crime Of the Rock Of Bay
ard, there overlooking the Meuse below
Dinant, infants in their mothers arms
were shot down without mercy.
'The deed, never surpassed in cruelty
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

world seemed to cow the Germans. The
wholesale massacres, lootlngs and
burnlngs ceased. But in the winter Of
1916 they perfected a new form OF
devillty. Their own supply Of labor de
pleted, the Huns conceived the Idea OF
deportlng Belglans and Frenchmen to
Germany 60 make them work for the
Kaiser, in many instances actually
compelling them 10 labor In munition
factories.
on January Is, 1917, while still in
Brussels-even though 10 was occupied
by the .Gormans-Whltlock made a re-
port to the State Department saying
among other things;
Il have IL In mind, and ! might say,
on my conscience, since the Germans
began to deport Belgian workmen in
November to prepare for the depart
ment a detailed report on this latest
instance Of brutality, but there have
been so many obstacles in the way or
obtaining evidence on which a calm and
iudicious opinion could be based, and
one Is so overwhelmed with the horror
OF the thing itself, that it has been
and even now Is difficult to write calm
" and justly about It,
IN order to understand fully the
situation It is necessary TO go back to
the autumn Of 1914 AT the time VIC
were organizing the relief work, the
Comlte National belgian relief organl-
zatlon) proposed an arrangement 10y
which the Belgian government should
pay ia It's own employees left in Bel.
gium and other unemployed men be
sides. the wages they had been accus
toned to receive. The Belgians wished
TO do this both for humanitarian an'
patriotic purposes; they wished to pro
vide the unemployed with the means o.
livelihood and, az the same time, Il
prevent their working for the Germans
refused to be connected in any wa!
with this plan and told the Belgian
committee that it had many possible
Evening journal., 1917-12-10

In 1907 the French Academy Of Moral and Political
Sciences awarded the first prize for the best essay
"The Struggle Against Alcoholism" to Dr. L. Viaud
out of many competitors In its published form, with
preface of endorsement by Dr. Emil Cheysson president
of the French National League Against Alcohol DR..
of wine and beer far from being necessary evil" for
which remedy be found is in fact the ANTIDOTE
FOR ALCOHOLISM.
The United States Brewers Association
Evening journal., 1917-12-10
The Basis of True Temperance

Temperance to be virtue must be free and not
forced,'' said eminent Boston Divine-the Rev. DR.
Cyrus A Bartol-nany years ago, and in that
he crystazed the whole moral truth of the Tenn
perance question.
Evening star., 1917-11-11
U. S. FOOD ADMINISTRATION
SOON TO OCCUPY NEW HOME
Group Of Buildings Nearing Com
pletion at 18th and D Streets
to Cost $2s5,OOo.

Within less than two weeks the
United States Food Administration is
expected to move into It's new quar-
ters now nearing completion on the
old horse show block at 18th and D
streets. where a group Of buildings has
sprung up within the last sixty days
The ground lease for the buildings
which adtoin those occupied by the
Council of National Defense. was sign
ed September 10. and work on the foun-
dation was begun the same day. under
supervision Of the committee on emer-
gency construction Of the council
The buildings are two stories high,
with stucco walls, and were designed
by Waddy B. Wood, president OF tho
Evening star., 1917-11-11
JOINS LIBERTY LOAN STAFF.
La Bert st. Clair Sworn In as As.
sistant Publicity Director.

La Bert st. Clair was sworn in as
assistant director OF publicity for the
liberty loan yesterday. Since Oscar T.
Price, auditor for the Interior Depart
ment. took charge as director he has
been assisting as a syndicate writer.
The new assistant director has been
from coast to coast, working in all the
principal cities as a newspaper man.
He served the Associated Press in Chi
cago, Cleveland, Kansas City, Albany
and San Francisco. He was in Wash
ington in 1913 as the press agent OF
Frank T. OHare. representative in
Congress from Indiana, who beat
Uncle joe" Cannon for the job.
Evening star., 1917-11-11

portant also that police officials Of
every grade and class should be In.
formed of their duty under the selec-
tive service law and regulations, to
promptly and to serve the summons
OF local and district boards.
newspapers can be OF very great
assistance in giving wide publicity to
the requirements of the law and regu-
lations. and to the numbers and names
of those who are called to present
themselves to their local boards from
day to day. Finally, 1 ask that during
marking the sixty-day period of the
classification all citizens give attention
to the task in hand in order that tho
process may proceed to a conclusion
with swiftness and yet with even and
considerate tuslice to ALL"
Brings Out Essential Facts.
The "questionnaire." which is the
basis Of the new system. is a collec-
ton of questions bringing out the es-
aential facts upon which all classified :
Aons are made, the provost marshal
general announces. 1t 10 the only print
ed form which amy regfstrant needs
to use either In making claims or fil-
ing proof. At first sight It may seen,
a little formidable. but reading of
the questions shows that they are
simple enough for any person who can
read and write understandingly to AN
swer
The Presidents message lines up
the whole legal profession Of the Unit
ed States as assistants Of the seiective
service system and as impartial ad-
vtsers to registrants In filling out their
duestionnaires," declares the War De-
partment. Under the new regulations
a place is to be provided convenient to
every local board where registrants
may go for free advice and assistance
in making out this document. The
county Judge or other judicial officer
Of similar court is placed at the head
of committee Of lawyers in each VI
cinity and this committee is charged
with the duty Of seeing that there nre
always plenty of lawyers and other
volunteers present to help registrants
In filing out the questionnaire.
"Questionnafres are to be mailed by
the local board to per cent Of the
registrants each day. The principal
work of the legal advisory boards viii
thus be over in twenty days. by which
time nil the Questionna.res should be
returned to the boards. Every man
has seven days In which to return his
cuestionnaire fully made out. The
process OF classification will begin
about December Is. Eight days later
the boards will begin the great process
Evening star., 1917-11-11
CITIZENS LINED Up
BY EXECUTIVE CALL
President Asks Ali in Country
to Aid in Classifying Men
Called to CoIors.
WORK BEGINS THIS WEEK

President Wilson calls upon all citizens
OF the country to aid the War Depart
mene IN classifying all registrants not
yet called to. the colors. in 'foreword"
to the new selective service regulations
under which the great classification of
millions OF men will take place during
a sixty-day period.
The process of classification will begin
throughout the country about We1nes-
day, Provost Marshal General Crowder
announces
Presidents Statement.
The Presidents foreword. launching
the new regulations governing selection
of men for new National Armies, fol-
lows:
THE task Of selecting and mooilizing
the first contingent of the National
Army is nearing completion. The exped!-
ton and accuracy of its accomplishment
were most gratifying demonstration of
the efficiency of our democratic fnstitu-
chinery for its execution had to be as
sembled. however. left room, for ADJUST
ment and Improvement New regulations
ttiag these Improvements into effect
are, therefore, being published today.
There Is no change In the essential obli-
cation of men subject to selection, The
first draft must stand unaffected hy the
provisions Of the new regulations, They
can be given no retroactive effect.
The time haH come for a moro per-
feet organization OF our man power.
Evening star., 1917-11-11
Imposed Great Sacrifices

Members of these boards have rem
oered a conspicuous service. The work
was done without regard to personal
convenience and under a pressure Of
great sacrifices Yet the services Of
men trained by the experience of the
first draft must of necessity be retained
and the selection boards must provide
the directing mechanism for the new
classification. The thing they have
done is of scarcely one-tenth the mag
nitude of the thing that remains to be
done. It is Of great importance, both to
our military and to our economic interests.
fhat the classification be carried swift
ly and accurately to conclusion. An
estimate Of the time necessary for the
work leads to the conclusion that 1T
can be accomplished in sixty days; but
only if this great marshaling of our
resources of men is regarded by all as
a national war undertaking Of such sig
nificance as to challenge the attention
and compel the assistance OF every
American.
All Citizens Urged to Aid.
81 call upon all citizens. therefore,
to assist local and district boards by
proffering such service and such mate
rial conveniences as they can offer and
by appearing before the boards, either
upon summons or upon their own fni-
tiative, to give such information as Will
pc useful in Classifying registrants, |
urge men Of the legal profession to
offer themselves as associate members
of the legal advisory boards to be pro-
vided in each community for the pur-
pose of advising registrants of their
rights and obligations and of assisting
them IN the preparation of their
answers TO the questions which all men
subject to draft are required to sub
NIT, I ask the doctors of the country
to Identify themselves with the meui-
1,-t, hon ,I.,l,
constituted in the various districts
throughout the United States for the
purpose OF making a systematic physica!
examination of the reglstrauts 1t Is i'm
Evening star., 1917-11-11

Warrington Chapter Of tho American
Institute of Architects, who was ono of
the first to offer his services to Her
bert Hoover when tho latter came to
Washington last June.
More than quarter Of the wall area
is taken up with windows. 80 that all
the rooms will be well lighted and VEN
tilated. More than 300 rooms will be
provided and the cost of construction
will be about $285,0OO
Evening star., 1917-11-11

Extra Saving for More Cash Down.
Extra Inducement for Shortening
the Time.
Evening star., 1917-11-11
q. s. Gives Canada Order for Shells,

OTTAWA. November lo.-Nsgotia~
tions conducted by the imperial muni-
tions board at Washington have result.
ed in the placing OF a large order Of :
shells for French 75s. to be produced
from Canadian plants for the United
States government It is stated that
from six to seven and one-half million
shells VIII be turned out during the
first seven months of 1918
Evening star., 1917-11-11
New Wage Scale for Ohio Miners.

CLEVELAND. Ohio. November 10
Ohio coal operators and representa-
tives of miners in conference here have
practically completed their task OF re-
adjusting the wage scale in tho six
Evening star., 1917-11-11

teen mining districts Of the stDAA ne
new scale becomes operative auto.
matically. An eight-hour Workday
and fiat increase OF $1.l0 Q day fer
all adults employed in or around Ohio
mines are provided.