The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-11-08

how they treated one British officer,
which IL by no means nm isolated case.
For-this not to me, but In Colonel
Vnndeleur's statement to the British
war ofice-he tells of n cur ahead OF
his where. the men being threatened
with sufrocntlon. they hammered so
mndly or the walls of the car that mt
last a carpenter was brought, who cut
n small round hole for mir.
VIOLATED HAGUE CONVENTION.
Let us soc for n moment what the
Belgians had n right to expect from
the Invading nrmy. considering BEL
GUM not neutral but enemy territory.
Germany had subscribed to The
Hague convention. that gentlcman's
agreement between nations which was
designed. since wars seemed inevi-
table. to make for fairness and de-
cency. by Article 40 Of that convcn-
tion Belgium, Is enemy territory, has
this claim:
Family honor and rights. indlvid-
unl life, and private property, rs well
as religious convictions and worship,
must be respected.
"Private property may not be con-
fiscated."
Article %:
"The giving over to pillnge Of n
town or place, eve when taken by
assault, Is forbidden.
an sleges and commandments all
necessary steps must he taken to
spare, ms far ns possible. buildings ded-
icated to public worship, art, science.
or charitable purposes, historic monu-
ments, hospitals, and places whore
the sick and wounded are collected.
provided they are not being used ut
the time for military purposes"
That Is what Belgium had n right
to expect. What she has had, In wan
ton destruction of historical monu-
ments, we know. That Is what France,
too, had ii right to expect, and what
she got. that also We know.
But The Hague convention did more
than order the protection Of cities and
noncombGtnnts: II ordered such hu.
mnnity as was possible toward the op-
posing army IL forbade the use Of
poison or poisoned weapons, the say
Ing that no quarter would he given.
the killing OF men who had surren-
dered, the use NJ arms, material or
proiectlles calculated to cause nne
cssary suffering; II forbade the attack
or bombardmont by any meal what
ever of undefendcd towns, villages,
dwellings or buildings.
On every one of these counts Ger
many must plead guilty. Every viola
ton OF them IL one reason why we are
at war.
WHY WE ARE AT WAR.
We are nj war today not because
the crown prince Of Austria was killed
In Serbia but because the German
army protected Its advance with nom
combatants-men. women and children.
We are at war today not because
German submarines sunk battleshlps
but because they have sunk and are
sinking peaceful vessels, little fishing
boats, when the fishermen were labor
ing to get n scant livelihood, and
great unarmed passenger ships car
rying observation-disclosures, women,
and children.
We are nj war because OF those clti-
zcns Of conquered Belgium who died
protecting their
We are at war because OF that Ger
man order OF August "a, 1914, for
fri~ghtfulness.
We are at war against the convic-
ton, In German minds, that might IL
right, that the end justifes any means,
no matter how brutal.
We are n clean and a humane people.
We would not believe these things at
first. A million and a half Belg!ans
fed to England with the story. We
we're still ~Incrcdulous. Noncombatants
must be some Justification. New and
ever new crucltics of death came from
the German trenches, and we have
said This IL modern war"
But the score Is mounting higher
day by day. The politics Of this war
are lost in It's inhumanities, fathered
by German skill. II was not enough
that men should die. They must die
horribly.
We have never understood. We
have been a people of ideals, confront
Ing n nation Of Grass mnterlalists. II
Is time for us TO understand. But II Is
not time, and never will be time. for
the American people to stoop to the
methods of an enemy which would
again today. II the necessity arose.
protect It's advance by the helpless
forms OF old men. Of pine and of
children.
II 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 ara
OF n 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.