The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-02-09
SERBIA'S MARTYRDOM.
Prosperous Villages Are Now Reduced to
Ruin.

Not long ago, in the Vienna ParIia
ment, Dr.. Otokar Ribar, Slovene dep
uty. protesting against the systematic
determination of the Serbian population
said
60 to the Balkans and you shall Sc,
how the former flourishing towns ana
villages are now but smoldering ruins
Not military necessity. but the deliber
ate will of the authorities has devastated
our lands in such manner as has not beer
witnessed in Europe since kossovo Gun
unhappy people has been scattered to the
winds; from whole districts the military
authorities have carried off women and
old men and children just as did the As
syrians and Babylonlans the conquered
peoples of ancient times From the vi
entity of Nish alone the enemy have
carried away 10000 persons to the des-
erts of Asia Minor Ii is war of ex-
termination of the Jugoslavs The allies
speak about restoration of Serbia and
the uniication of the Serbian race Ser
bia they may save, but not the Serbs
and Jugoslavs, for there will not be one
there at all to rejoice in the blessing Of
peace"
Budapest similar protest has been raised
by the Socialist deputy, MIR. Zolton
Vermes, who, referring To the barbarity
of the enemy and their crimes against
the unfortunate population of Serbia,
said;
"As commandment of a detachment, my
duties called me to the mining village OF
Maidanpek. in occupisd Serbia, from
which neighborhood is obtained the Ply
rites necessary for the manufacture of
munitions. The monarchy needs some
10000 tons of pyrites, of which guam
tity this mine alone produces 10000
tons; its regular working, therefore, is of
capital importance to the monarchy.
There are working in the mine $50 la.
borers, invalided soldiers and interned
persons from the Serbian civilian popu-
lation. But the mHe is adjacent to the
Bulgarian administrative territory, where
the enemy plfrsues with the cruelest Sc
verify bands of insurgent Serbs, whose
relatives they systematically put to
death; thus at Maidanpek executions are
the order of the day. Nobody troubles
to bury the dead of those who thus meet
their fate; one after another whole vii
lagos are cleared of the friends and rela
tives of these unhappy people; the Bull
garians round up the people and send
them off. some to the Dobrudia, Others
to Asia Minor. In this way farms are
left masterless and cattle stray over
the country and even the richest villages |
fall into state of utter wretchcdness, !
so that the workmen in the mine are /
unable with any certainty To procure /
even the barest nccessarics Of life. Rep I
reservations had been made without re-
suit to the Bulgarian government. II |
appears, indeed, that the matter Is not 4
Urgent in Bulgarian eyes. Therefore the
moral obligation rests with the Hunga
ian government Of taking the matter
ntO its own hands and Of trying to save
he lives of at least a proportion Of these
Door people. But this is only a special
Instance; there Is CRYING need on every
land for n more humane administration
4 these lands. For nearly four years
low children have gone without any
chooling. sick people have been allowed
o die without any medical assistance OF
Elevations Of any Kind. loathsome dis
sses have spread amongst the people.
nd yet there j. not the slightest at
empt AZ any bettcrment Of conditions on
be part Of the administration
These speeches NAV therefore be taken
s the best proof Of the deliberate and
riminal determination 81 Serbian people.
can b. imagined what a state 81 affairs .
revsils IN serbia when persons IN high
laces among the central powers are 4
lmpeiied % protest against the cruelty .
this regime.