The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-05-24

ice 1902 II. street, Washington, ID.
c., April l, 1918.
At the beginning of December,
1916, this appeal reached Messrs.
II. Carton de Wharf, p. Hymans and
E. Vandervelde, members of the Bel
gian government, who. youch for its
authenticity.
1t is not difficult to imagine the
reasons why it should not bear the
signatures of its authors.
Furthermore it was introduced by
memorandum sufficient to let these
reasons appear as follows:
Memorandum.
The working men of the country
have met in secret. Their delegates
have been in conference. All-Cath-
olics, Liberals, Socialists-have been
in full accord in preparing the APP
peal to which this is attached.
They address it to the whole
world.
All of them beg that this mani
festo appear in all the newspapers,
that it be published and disseminat-
ed as far as possible, that it be
placarded on the walls of all cities
and the smallest hamlets of the
world-in one word, that the least
important laborer, in no matter what
corner of the world, shall know it.
1t is the appeal. of the Belgian
working man, who,. groaning be-
meath the German heel, without
means of rebelling for himself, will
not yield since he is upheld by the
knowledge that he has right and
justice on his side.
1t may be the universal reproba-
ton which will be visited upon the
Germans will check the horrors of
slavery which they wish to inflict up
on a defensless people simply be-
cause it is doing its duty.
Appeal of Belgian Working Men to
American Working Men.
In the name of the international
solidarity of working men the work
ing class of Belgium, threatened
with absolute slavery, with deporta-
sion and with forced labor for the
profit of the enemy, addresses to the
workmen of America this final APP
peal for energetic and efficacious
aid, not mele words of sympathy
but deeds.
Since you are men you will I'M
derstand.
We are in the depths of despair.
Germany, you well know, in 1914
attacked and ravaged Belgium be-
'ause it upheld it's neutral rights,
its sworn faith and its honor.
Since then Germany has martyr
I'd Belgium 1t has made it prison;
It's boundaries are armed against
the Belgians as on a line of battle
they have their trenches, their barb
ed wires charged with electricity
their machine guns and their quar-
tiers for operations. All our con-
stitutional liberties have been abol-
ished. Security has persisted; the
life citizens are, subjected to an ar
btrary policy which knows Meth
er bounds nor pity. So much for
individuals.
Now for our wealth, this: Germany
has smitten it's victim with an i'm
mense war contribution which has
already exceeded thousand million
| francs and which is growing at the
rate of 40,000,000 a month. 1t has
grasped for transport into Germany
under. the guise of high-handed rob-
berries, of confiscations, of requisi-
tiOns and of forged sales more than
five thousand million francs in food
stuffs and merchandise. in industrial
and agricultural products. At the
same time it has seized and sent
back to Germany the greater part of
the raw materials of our factories,
machinery and accessories; thus it
has halted our industries and has
reduced almost all of our working
men to idleness.
For nearly two years the Germans
were responsible for that plague of
unemployment until that day in
October of 1916, when Germany
found itself in need of arm power
and set about draining from Bel
GUM the working forces of which
it stood in such pressing need.
Workmen of America: Yes, the
Germans have created the unemploy-
ment of Belgium and have maintain
ed it to their profit:
In refusing to England which
consented to introduce new raw ma
.eiials, the diplomatic control which
$ Indispensable to prevent the fin