The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-12-15
unemphasized, aat Statements of witt

So we have seen how the Germans
conducted themselves in Belgium and
how they treated n British officer,
which is by no means an isolated case.
For-this not to me, but in Colonel
Vandeleur's statement to the British
war ofice-he tells of n car ahead of
his where, the men being threatened
with suffocation. they hammered so
madly on the walls of the car that at
last a carpenter was brought, who cut
Il small round hole for air.
VIOLATED HAGUE CONVENTION.
Let us see for a moment what the
Belgians had a right to expect from
the invading army, considering Bel
GUM not neutral but enemy territory.
Germany had subscribed to The
Hague convention, that gentleman's
agreement between nations which was
designed, since wars seemed inevi-
table, to make for fairness and de-
cency. BY Article 46 of hat conven-
ton Belgium, as enemy territory, has
this claim:
'Family honor and rights, individ-
uul lllt, I'll pllNolC PlOPCAl ~ 40 WI
as religious convictions and worship,
must be respected.
"Private property may not be con-
fiscated."
Article %:
1.-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 a right
to expect. What she has had, in wan
ton destruction of historical monu-
ments, we know. That is what France,
too, had u 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 hui
manity as was possible toward the OPP
posing army; it forbade the use OF
poison or poisoned weapons, the say
the killing of men who had surren-
dered, the use of arms, material or
projectiles 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
ton 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 it's advance with nom
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 observation-disclosures, 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
mar order of August "a, 1914, for
frightfulness.
We are at war against the convfc-
ton, in German minds, that might is
right, that the end justifies any means,
no matter how brutal.
We are a clean and q humane people.
We would not believe these things at
first. A million and a half Belgians
fled to England with the story. We
were still i~ncredulous. 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 IOSJ III lIS lnuludulllcS ldlllelcu
by German skill. 1t vas not enough
that men should die. They must die
horribly.
We have never understood. We
have been a people of ideals, confront
ing a nation Of Grass materialists. 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.
= = = Il y
1t is well for us to pause for a 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.