The Colorado statesman., 1918-01-12

| PruSStln lives only Tor tlllS. tnnt the
German state may he mighty and groat
"Au the woes In the long count
| against Germany are part of the Prus-
| sian system. The Invasion Of belgium
! the dcporlutionS, the starving OF sub
| iect people, the Armenian masSacres,
| atrocities, frightfulness, sinking the
| Lusitania, the submarine horrors, the
cnslavcment Of women--all piece into
| the monstrous view. The rights of ma
tions, the rights Of men, the lives p'.d
liberties of all people are subordinate
| to the German aim OF domini.u over
! all the world.
FREDERIC {. WALCOTT."
Mr.. Vernon Kellogg's statement is
as follows:
Saw Only Massacre and Ruin.
ut was my privilege-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 moro
months mt 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 con
quered people, part of whom (the
French and the inhabitants of the Bel
gian provinces of East and West Elan
dcrS) 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
Belginn provinces, under the quasi
civil government of Governor General
Won Kissing. ! did not enter the occu-
pied territories until June. 1918. and
so, of course, saw none OF the actual in
vasion and overrunnng of the land.
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 m
fortunntes under their control after the
occupation.
81 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
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 INT
ruin by fire and explosions These
were the famous punished towus
Either citizen or perhaps two or
three citizens had fired from window
on the invaders-or were alleged to
have. ThereupOn Il block, or two or
three blocks, or half the town was
methodically and effectively burned or
blown to pieces. There are many Of
these punished towns in occupied
France. And between these towns 20 o
along the roadwnys are innumerable
isolated single farmhouscs that are also
in ruins. 1t is not claimed that there
was any sniping from these farm
houses. They were just destroyed along
the way-and by the way. one ma,
| say. When the roll of destroyed viii
lagos and destroyed farmhnuses in oc-
| cupied France is made known. the
world will he shocked again by this evil
dence of German thoroughness.
Found Neutrality impossible.
But the horrible methods of that
| deportation We're such that we. al
though trying to hold Steadfast to
| rigorous neutrality, could not but pro-
test. Mr.. Gerard, our nmhn sSador to
Berlin. happened ut the very time of
this protest to make visit to the
great headquarters i'm 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 10 that of Mr.. Poland
our director mt the time, and further
deportations were stopped. But ter
rible mischief had already been done
Germany Must Be Civilized.
81 went into Belgium and occupied
| France neutral and | maintained
while there steadfastly neutral be
havior. But | came out no neutral.
canirot conceive that any American en-
! jOying an experience similar to mine
could have come out n neutral He
would come out, rs | came, with the
ineradicahle conviction that people
or government which can do what the
Germans did and are doing in Belgium
and France today must not he allowed.
if there is power on earth to prevent IT,.
to do this moment longer than can be
helped. And they must not be al
lowed ever to do it again.
81 went in also hater of war, and I
came out more ardent hater of war
| But, also. | came out with the ineradic-
able conviction, again, that the only
way in which Germany under its pres
ent rule and in its present state of
mind can be kept from doing what 1t
has done is by force Of arms. 1t can
not he prevented by appeal, concession
| or trnulies. Hence. nrdentlN rs | hnnn