The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-09-12
BRUTAL METHODS
USED BY GERMANY
In Handling Her Provinces In Africa Are
Brought to Light By Edmond H.
L. Gorges Of British Gov
eminent.

London, Sept. ia report contains.
ing evidences OF the brutal methods ea-
ployed by Germany in the administr,
tion of her colonies in Africa made pub
lie to-day by Edmond H. L. Georges, act.
ing secretary Of tine interior union Of
South Africa, constitutes the British
governments reply to DR.. w. $. Solf,
the German secretary Of state for the
colonies, that Germany would demand
the return of her colonies at the peace
conference.
The report Is one Of the most sensa
tional ever issued in connection with
German colonial methods and it consti.
tutes an indictment Of German fitness
to rule the black native Of Africa, The
evidences upon which the report is based
are taken from official German docu-
ments at Windhoek from sworn state.
ments by native chiefs and by Europe
ans familiar with the country and from
the writings OF Governor Leutwein, who
held Office from 1894 to 1905; DR.. Paul
Rohriback, DR.. Carl Dove and others. Al.
together the report refutes in detail DR..
Soils recent claim that "Germany's pre-
war humane treatment OF the native
race won for her the moral right to be a
great colonial power" In view of this
claim the following statement by Act.
ing Secretary Gorges is interesting;
The native opinion here is unani-
mously against any idea Of their ever be-
ing handed back to the tender mercies
of Germany. Any suggestion Of the pos
sibility of an act Of this kind on the part
Of Great Britain produces the utmost
CONSERVATION.
The report shows that the first TWEEN
ty-five years of German rule in south
west Africa was an unbroken record of
official bad faith, private oppression,
cruelty, barbarities and roBDeries, Gull
minating in the Herero and Hottentot
rebelhons. During the first seventeen
years there was no law for the natives.
Such protection as the law eventually
provided indicated considerations of hui
manity but the order TO exploit the ma
tives as laborers remained.
When the Germans first arrived, says
the report, they entered into agreements
with the native chiefs, but these be-
came scraps of paper and the natives
were fraudulently deprived Of their best
lands Traders and settlers robbed them
of their cattle, which was their only
wealth, and the law subsequently pre-
vented the natives from possessing large
herds Of stock. The natives thus were
- aI -.
wages and often never were paid They
were treated like slaves and their wom-
en- folks were maltreated habitually by
the Germans, who took them into forced
concubinage. These were some of the
things which goaded the natives into re-
belhon, which was suppressed by ruth
less cruelty resulting virtually in the ex-
termination of the three tribes involved.
The Hereros were reduced from $4,000
to Is, 100, the Hottentots from 10000 to
$500 and the Berg Damaras from $4,000
to 1880. Thus so per cent of the Her
ero people disappeared and more than half
of the Hottentots and Berg Damaras
shared the same fate. How it was done
was to supercede the lenient Governor
Leutwein by the notorious Governor
Trotha, fresh from Germany to east AT
RIGA, where he suppressed the Arab re-
bellion by Wholesale message Gov
ernor Trotha issued an determination
order, the terms of which provided that
no Herero man, woman, or child or babe
was to receive mercy or quarter.
'I<ilI every one Of them; take no pris-
oners," he said in these orders. Evi.
dence that the order was only too faith
fully carried out is recorded in story
of Governor Trotha's former groom, who
| described how he once was ordered To
kill young Herero woman. He refused
in disgust, whereupon a German soldier
showed him how to do II and then held
the dripping bayonet in his face An
officer and German soldiers were stand.
ing around, but none interfered an behalf
Of the woman.