Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-02-25

IONS, tne rights OF men, the lives anu
liberties of all people are subordinate
to the German aim of dominion over
all the world,
FREDERIC G. WALCOTT."
Mr.. Vernon Kellogg's statement is
as follows:
Saw Only Massacre and Ruin.
ut was my prlvilege-and necessity
in connection with the work Of the
commission for relief in Belgium to
spend several months at the great
headquarters of the German armies in
the west, and later to spend more
months at Brussels as the commits
siOn's director for Belgium and Occu-
pied France. 1t was an enforced op-
pOrtunity to see something of German
practice in the treatment of a con-
quered people, part of whom (the
French and the inhabitants of the Bel.
gian provinces Of East and West Flan-
ders) were under the direct control of
the German general staff and the sew
eral German armies Of the west, and
part, the inhabitants of the seven other
Belgian provinces, under the quasi
civil government of Governor General
Won Bissing. | did not enter the occu-
pied territories until June, 1915, and
so, Of course, saw none Of the actual in
vasi0n and Overrunning of the land. I
saw only the graves of the massacred
and the ruins of their towns. But
saw through the long, hard months
much too much for my peace of mind
Of how the Germans treated the un-
fOrtunates under their control after the
occupation.
Destruction Complete.
"As chief representative for the COM
mission, 1t was my duty to cover this
whole territory repeatedly in long mo-
tor journeys in company with the Ger
man officer assigned for my protection
and for the protection of the German
army against any too much seeing. As
l had opportunity also to cover most of
Belgium In repeated trips from Brus-
sells into the various provinces, nee
essarlly had opportunity to compare
the destruction wrought In the two re-
giOns.
II could understand why certain
towns and villages along the Meuse and
along the lines of the French and Eng
lish retreat were badly shot to pieces.
There had been fighting In these towns
and the artillery Of first one side and
then the other had worked their havoc
among the houses of the inhabitants.
But there were many towns in which
there had been no fighting and yet all
too many Of these towns also were in
ruins 1t was not ruin by shells, but
ruin by fire and explosions. These
were the famous punished towns.
Either a citizen or perhaps two or
three citizens had fired from q window
on the invaders-or were alleged to
have. Thereupon block, or two or
three blocks or half the town was
methodically and effectively burned OF
blown to pieces. There are many of
these punished towns in occupied
France. And between these towns and
along the roadways are innumerable
Isolated single farmhOuses that are also
In ruins. 1t Is not claimed that there
was any snlping from these farm.
houses. They were just destroyed along
the way-and by the way, one may
say. When the roll of destroyed vii.
lagos and destroyed farmhouses in oc
cupied France is made known, the
world will be shocked again by this evl.
dence of German thoroughness.
Found Neutrality impossible.
but the horrible methods of that
deportation were such that we, al
though trying to hold steadfast to a
rigorous neutrality, could not but pro.
test. Mr.. Gerard, our ambassador to
Berlin, happened at the very time of
this protest to make visit to the
great headquarters in the west and the
matter was brought to the attention
of certain high officers at headquarters
on the very day of Mr.. Gerard's visit
and in his hearing. So that he added
his own protest to that of Mr.. Poland
our director at the time, and further
deportations were stopped. But ter.
rible mischief had already been done
Husbands and fathers had been taken
from their families without a word of
good-by; sons and daughters on whom
perhaps aged parents relied for sup.
port were taken without pity or appar-
ent thought of the terrible conse.
quences. The great deportations of
Belgium have shocked the world. But
these lesser deportatlons-th is
lesser in extent, but not less brutal In
their carrying out-are hardly known
Germany Must Be Civilized.
II went into Belgium and occupied
France a neutral and / maintained
while there n steadfastly neutral be-
havlor. But came out no neutral. /
cannot conceive that any American en-.
joying an experience similar to mine
could have come out a neutral. He
would come out, as l came, with the
Ineradlcable conviction that a people
Or a government which can do what the
Germans did and are doing in Belgium
md France today must'not be allowed,
4 there is power on earth to prevent it,
% do this moment longer than can be