The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-11-06
NEGRO WAR WORK.

Statement of Facts to Show Why Ne
groes Sho. I'd Do Their Utmos
Against Germany.
To the Colored People of Sumter
County:
The United War Work Campaign i:
a real war work and every coloreo
man, woman and child should sub
scribe to the fund literally. Read
! what The Literary Digest in its issue
of October 26th, says about the treat
ment of your people by the Germans
in South Africa.
Gcrmany's Colonial Crimes.
Literary Digest, Oct. 26.,.
The stubborn determicatio to re-
gain her colonies that Germany
shows is equaled only by stedf:ast re-
solve Of the British that, whatever
else happens, Germany shall never
again be a colonial power "only
military reason cries the kolnische
Zeitung, could compel us 10 accept
President Wilson's conditions. 1t is
possible that Germany may require
counter -guaranties-for example, the
evacuation of the colonies occupied
by the Allies" To this the London
Evening Standard replies: There are
two points upon which Great Brit
ain will firmly insist at the peace con-
ference. One, idemnity for al ship
pipg losses sustained on account of
submarines, including mercantile
shipping of belligerent aud neutral
powers, and the surrender of the
German Navy. The other, the re-
tention "f the German colonies,
which be ong Of right to the people
on the spot, namely, the self-govern-
ing democracies of Australasia and
South Africa" This attitude, says
The Standard, is dictated not from
any desire for territorial aggrandize-
ment on the part of Great Britain,
but from sheer humanity which for
bids the delivery of helpless Peoples
to German cruelty and lust. The
South African administrator OF the
captured German Southwest Africa
has just issued his report, and, says
the London Daily News, whose sum-
mary we. quote, the behavior Of the
Germans there, ito the hapless ma
tives is a picture Of bestial deprav-
ity." The official report says:
"The natives were reduced almost
to a state of slavery, families even
being separated to- suit the coavcn-
ience of employers. Their women
were habitually maltreated bJ the
Germans, who took them into forced
concubinage. They were in the end
deliberately goaded into reoell~o-s
which were suppressed with del;ber-
ate and ruthless cruelty, and which
resulted in the practical extermlna-
ton Of the tribes involved.
"The effect Of the ruthless policy
pursued may be gathered from the
following comparisons of tribal popu-
lations in 1904, before the rebellion,
and the populations according to
the official German census Of 1911:
1904 1911
Hereros. -. :. $4,000 15,100
Hottentots =. =. 10000 $500
Berg Damaras :. 10000 1880
Thus, 80 per cent of the Eerero
population and more than hale tie
Hottentot and Berg Damaca races
had disappeared.
11--.le London Daily Telegraph gives
US in it's comment on this report a
ew side-lights on the suppression o.
the Herero rebellion:
sFor more than a year, with the
full connivance Of the kalsor and The
German government at Berlin. this
little band Of German cutthroats
slaughtered the Hereros-men, wo-
men, and children alike-wherevel
they found them, in circumstances Of
the most sickening cruelty, which
are set forth in the pages Of this ter
rible Blue Book. We will quote onf
single incident only. Won Trotha ane
his staff halted one day near q hu
where an old woman was digging fol
wild onions. A jealous German SOL
dier named KONG, jumped off hi
horse and shot her through the lore
head at point-blank range. ThinAi1l'
that she would beg for mercy, n
said, before he fired, I am going t
kill YOU She simply looked up ant
replied, I thank you. Death was tn
only friend of this martyred race. Th'
Germans drove the Hereros into tn
bush, and then poisoned the water
holes on the desert borders. Whel
at length the. deemed that the time
had come to make peace with TN
nit;f,,1 remnant of the race, they SER
a few thousand down to Luderltz
bucht, where, as one of the Hererf
chiefs described it, they died Ike