The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1918-05-22
SOCIALISTS SAW
GERMANY'S ERROR
Urged That Inhuman Deporta-
tons Be Stopped Because of
.. Effect on NeutraIS.
GERARD SUMS UP SITUATION
"Germans Will Stop at Nothing, ana
the Only Thing They Respect Is
Force" - Huns Capacity for
Cruelty Told by Whitlock.

aroused by the indignation shown
By the whole worId oUer the ruthless
deportations of the people in Bel
gium and France, socialist deputies
in the reichstag protested against
the continuance of the practice. Am
bassador Gerard's evidence Shows the
ertent of the horror. =
In the Norddeutsche Allgemeine
Zeitung of December 2, 1916, the fol-
lowing protests against the depOrta-
ton of Belgians to work in Germany
appeared, made, respectively, by So
cialist Deputy Haase and Deputy Dit
mann, members of the reichstag:
Thousands of wOrkmen in the Oc-
cupied territory have been compelled
to forced labor; we earnestly ask the
government to restore to these work
men their liberty, especially in Bel
GUM. In truth, we (the Germans) find
no sympathy in neutral countries; even
the pope has made a protest against
this procedure, and several neutral
ctateS have done the same. Common
sense itself demands that we abandon
this procedure which. moreover is in
opposition to the Hague convention to
which we have agreed"
"In opposition to the secretary of
state, must recall that when former
ly the Belgian workmen who had fled
RI Holland RI Pa1ci1rTo Gov
ernor General Won Kissing promised
that these Belgian workmen would I'M
der no circumstances be depOrted to
Germany. This reassuring promise
has not been kept"
Ambassador Gerard's interesting tes-
timony appears in his recent book:
Ambassador Gerard's Evidence.
The president during my visit to
America in 1870 impressed upon me
his great interest in the Belgians de
ported to Germany. The action of Ger
many in thus carrying great part of
the male population of Belgium into
virtual slavery had reused great indig-
nation in America. AS the revered
Cardinal Farley said to me a few days
before my departure, You have to go
back to the times of the Modes and
the Persians to find like example of
whole people carried into bondage
"Mr. Grew had made representations
about this to the chancellor and, on my
return, / Immediately took up the
question.
81 was informed that it was a mill
tary measure, that Ludendorf had
feared that the British would break
through and overrun Belgium and that
the military did not propose to have a
hostile population at their backs who
might cut the rail lines of communl-
cation, telephones and telegraphs, and
that for this reason the deportation
had been decided on. I was, however,
told I would be given permission to
visit these Belgians. The passes, new
ertheless, which alone made such visit
ing possible were not delivered until a
few days before I left Germany.
Beigians Forced to Make Munitions.
Several of these Belgians who were
put to work in Berlin managed to get
away and come to see me. They gave
me q narrowing account of how they
had been seized in Belgium and made
to work in Germany at making NUM-
tons to be used probably against their
own friends.
81 said to the chancellor, There are
Belgians employed in making shells
contrary to ali rules of war and the
Hague conventions He said, 4 dc
not believe it, I said, My automobile
| is at the door. I can take you, in four
minutes, to where 30 Belgians are
working on the manufacture of shells.
But he did not find time to go.
| Americans must understand that
the Germans will stop at nothing to
win this war, and that the only thing
they respect is force."-James w. &C.
rard. My Four Years in Germany, 1917
PIP. 3951-52.
A similar point of view is expressed
in an article entitled ''Vae Victis'
from the Hungarian newspaper News
Zawa of Budapest Quoted in X. G. Os
siannilsson, Militarism at Work in Bel
GUM and Germany, 1917, PIP. 53-54.)
Mixed Hungarian Opinion.
Mechanical skill, and especially
qualified mechanical skill, is for the
moment a more important factor thar
usual, and as it must be obtained
where it can be obtained, Belgium ha:
had to suffer in accordance with the
old saying which always holds good
Vac victis (woe to the vanquished)
In Poland mechanical skill and the
arms which exist there are modified
under the glorious and fortunate ban
ners of Poland > in Belgium under the
banner of necessity"
a.. The question remains: fol-
what kind of work will the Germans
use the Belgians? :. every kind o.
work in Germany is war work, wheth
er it is called agricultural or indus
trial work. AS the deported Belgian'
have not given their consent, their us'
is contrary to international law, ant
the policy of the Germans in Belgium
and Poland is equally to be deplored