The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-11

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Germany, who signed the conventions
of the second peace conference at The |
Hague. 1907, pledged themselves to the
following;
Article L. 10 general penalty, pc
cuniary or otherwise, shall be inflicted |
upon the population on account of the !
acts of Individuals for which they can
not be regarded as Jointly and several |
" responsible"
article LII. acquisitions in kind
and services shall not be demanded
from municipalities or inhabitants eX-
cept for the needs of the army of oc-
cupation. They shall be in proportion
to the resources of the country, and of
such Il nature as not TO involve the in
habitants in the obligation ST taking
part in military operations against
their own country"
The German authorities have violat-
ed these articles from the very begin
ming. AS soon as they invaded Bel
GUM, heavy fines were laid upon indi-
| yidual communities as reprisals for
some act against the German army or
It's regulations which was committed
within their boundaries. In AN APP
peal to Truth" Cardinal MERCER cites
| the following cases:
"MaliuGs, Working-claSs town,
/ without resources. has had IA fine Of
| 10000 marks inflicted on it because
/ the burgomaster did not inform the
/ military authority Of a Journey which
the cardinal, deprived of the use of his
motorcar. had been obliged to make
| On foot. In fact, upon the fimsiest
preteXts heavy fines are inflicted on
communes. The commune of Puers
was subjected to fine of 5000 marks
because telegraph wire was broken
although the inquiry showed that it
had given way through wear"
MerciIess Exactions.
In addition to such arbitrary,
| sporadic exactions, in December, 1914,
the Germans demanded 100000
francs ($8,00000O), a month to be
paid by the Belgian provinces jointly
! Concerning this enormous imposition
Cardinal MERCER says, IL the appeal
to Truth"
NOW, in December, 1914, Belgium
was devastated. Contributions Of war
imposed on the towns and inIumerable
acquisitions in kind had exhausted her.
The greater part of the factories We're
idle, and in those which We're still at
work, raw materials were, contrary TO
all law, being freely Communicated.
1T was on this impoverished Bel
GUM, living on foreign charity, that a
contribution of nearly 500,000,000
francs was imposed
The German military rules have also
5 made the families responsible for acts
committed by or charged against mem
bers as is shown in the following ex-
amples which are quoted from the
, appeal to Truth, cited above:
: The Belgian government have sent
orders to rejoin the army to the mi
t litiamen of several classes. Al
J those who receive these orders are
IL strictly forbidden TO act upon them
: In case of disobedience the
O family OF the militiaman Will be hel(
Q equally responsible
: Punishment "Without Mercy"
/ The commander in chief Of the Ger
t man army in Belgium posted procla
q nation declaring:
f The villages where acts of hostilit.
: shall be committed by the inhabitant'
against cur troops will be burned.
t. For all destruction of roads, rail
J ways, bridges, etc, the villages in thu
) neighborhood of the destruction vii
Y be held responsible.
The punishments announced abov
d viii be carried out severely and with
}. out mercy. The whole community
r will be held responsible. Hostage
q will be taken in large numbers. Tn
j. heaviest war taxes VIII be levied"
At the end Of the appeal to Truth
r Cardinal MERCER says:
t But we cannot say all here, no
h quote all.
q "If, however, our readers wish 70
e. the proof of the accusations
r. we shall be glad to furnish then
Q. There is not in our letter nor in tn
four annexes Ito the Appeal t
Truth, one allegation of which W
II have not the proofs in our records
Sweden in 1916 lost 1900 persons b