The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-26
REPRESENTATIVE DALE's SPEECH
Denounced German Perfidy in lombard
ing Hospitals.

whole on Sept. Is, as reported in tn
] Congressional Record
mir, Chairman, | most cordially agre
with the gentleman from Kentucky tMr
Sherley), who has in his very clear styl'
impressed upon this committee the neces
sity of raising revenue 10 prosecute thu
war even though there are objections
, from some sources.
, 81 have asked the House TO indulge ms
for just few minutes in touching upoT
u phase of this great warfare that has
been brought very keenly to our atten
tion during the past few days. That Is
the attack upon the American base hos
pitfalls, in which the first among our
forces in France have been killed-fouI
men killed, four others seriously wound.
ed and MANNED for life, and five Others
moderately wounded.
mir. Chairman, this organization in
which they were serving represents the
most effective effort of humanity to les
sen the horror of war. II is a branch of
the military establishment based on the
broadcast sense of compassion in these re-
cent times. To its insignia no human
heart has ever responded in hate. Under
the banners of battling foes its interna-
tional flag had passed on the pledge of
civilized nations that the red cross in the
white field must not be rent by shot or
shell. Any belligerent who at this time
attacks that system not only ignores the
common ethics of war but violates the
rules of fair fight, strikes below the
belt, and becomes contemplate. Zap
plause.)
"Why, gentlemen, this organization
was established by IL great European
nations. At its creation its articles were
signed by Prussia and later Germany
pledged its faith TO it. The first liberal
donor was that beneficent woman, still
living at thought of whom one seems to
hear pure tone among all these sweet
bells tangled out of tune-Louise of Ba
den, daughter of Wilhelm l., once king
of Prussia and emperor of Germany.
"In the Franco Prussian war the first
blood that flowed from German soldiers
was staunched by Red Cross nurses, and
over all the magnificent castles of the
grand duchess, turned by her into hos
pitfalls, foated with the scarlet and gold
of Baden the red and white of that great
international society. To these fields
and hospitals, to help care for these sol
ders as the patron of the grand duchess,
went that Incompatible American won
an, Clara Barton. tApplause.l In 1887
when Miss Barton went again to Ger
many as president of the American Red
Cross and as the appointed delegate OF
the United States to the international
Red Cross convention at Carlsruhe, she |
was received by the aged emperor with |
the assurance that Germany welcomed |
all those who were engaged in the great |
work of humanity.
These are some Of the reasons and ! |
have time TO mention only a few--why |
the Red Cross had particular confidence
in the protection Of the German govern
ment. a confidence akin to that which
faithful child bears toward its natural
parent. The ruin of that confidence was
an insane price TO pay for a little wider
spread of frightfulness. And there is
deep significance in the fact that the first
to die among our troops in France fell
under the emblem that the assaiing foe
was pledged by international covenant to
pass unframed 1t is because of acts
like this, because of the violation OF all
covenants by the imperial
government many times repeated, on sea
and land, and it is a madman's price for
any nation to pay for little wider
spread of frightfulness.
"It has been proclaimed that we have
no enmity toward the German people.
That is true respecting them in common
with all peoples OF the earth But by its
conduct of affairs nation makes char
acter, personality, and by that Great
ed essence takes its place in civilization
From its once high and honorable estate,
by its own infamous use of strength and
very culture Germany has sunk herself
in the ranks of humanity till the kind
,st word that may be spoken of her is
pity. The glory inherited from the past
his generation has flung away and left
lut odium for its children. Ii surren
Tered to frigbtfulness at the price of
'eason, and thereafter hideous madness
lrove it on Because of this, the one
,lace at which cruelty paused before
Igony and the majesty of war perceived
n helpessness fright divine has been
lefiled and the red cross, emblem of the
immortal soul in the white field of civil
zation, once the mark of immunity, is
low the target for assault, and for the
afety of those whom it would protect it
must be blotted frcm the sight of the
ameless ignominy that spies upon it.
Does there exist son /. here a notion
hat brave men ard women will fail in
heir devotion to stricken soldiers be-
ause the emblem of their service is no
onger shield from infamy2 ! saw
ew weeks since a complete refutation of
hat in the determined faces of contin-
ent of young men leaving our shores
or one of these very hospitals that have
gently been attacked. There was no
there was no excitement.
he gates 10 the piers were closed and
uarded as the boat that brought them
own the river quietly locked, and those
trong. courageous, scholarly fellows,
all university men, marched
ilently up ono pier and down the next :
, the boat on which they were to cross
he sea They understood that subma-
mes waited for them in the ocean, that
srtain peril menaced the place to which
ley were going They realized that
ley were going to trying. sickening
'enes on the field and in the hospital,
nd they sensed the fact that some
1890 xf-aro fnarlrad Tor Il