The Elbert County tribune., 1918-01-11
SOCIALISTS SAW
GERMANYs ERROR
Urged That Inhuman Deporta-
tions Be Stopped Because of
Effect on Neutrals.
GERARD SUMS UP SITUATION
"oermans VIII Stop at Nothing, anu
the Only Thing They Respect Is
Force" Huns Capacity for
Cruelty Told by Whitlock-


Aroused by the Indignation shown
by the whole world ouer the ruthless
deportations Of the people in Bel
GUM and France. socialist deputies
in the reichstag protested against
the continuance of the practice. Am
Jassador Gerard's Evidence shows The
ertent of The horror.
In the Norddeutsche Allgemeine
Zeitung of December 2, 1916, the fol
lowing protests against the deporta-
ton of Belgians to work In Germany
appeared, made. respectively. by So
cialist Deputy Bnase and Deputy Dit
mann, members of the reichstag:
Thousands of workmen in the oc-
cupied territory have been compelled
TO forced labor; we earnestly ask the
government to restore to these work
men their liberty, especially In Bel
GUM. In truth. we (the Germans) find
no sympathy in neutral countries; even
the pope has made n protest against
this procedure. and several neutral
states have done the same. Common
sense itself demands that we abandon
this procedure which moreover is in
opposition to the Hague convention to
which we have agreed"
"In opposition to the secretary of
state, / must recall that when former
ly the Belgian workmen who had fled
to Holland returned to Belgium, Gov
ernor General Won Bissing promised
Al. ID Il. Il
der no circumstances be deported to
Germany. This reassuring promise
has not been kept"
Ambassador Gerard's interesting tes-
timony appears in his recent book:
Ambassador Gerard's Evidence,
rne president tduring my visit to
America In 1870 impressed upon me
his great interest in the Belglans de
ported to Germany. The action of Ger
many in thus carrying a great part of
the male population of Belgium into
virtual slavery had reused great indig-
nation in America. AS the revered
Cardinal Farley said to me few days
before my departure. You have to go
back to the times OF the Medes and
the Persians to find like example of
i whole people carried into bondage
'Mr. Grew had made representations
about this to the chancellor and. on my
return. Immediately took up the
question.
II was informed that it was mill
tary measure. that Ludendorf had
feared that the British would break
through and overrun Belgium and that
the military did not propose to have
hostile population at their backs who
might cut the rail lines of communl.
cation, telephones and telegraphs, and
that for this reason the deportation
had been decided on. I was, however,
told I would be given permission to
visit these Belgians. The passes, new
ertheless, which alone made such visit
ing possible were not delivered until a
few days before I left Germany
BelaIans Forced to Make Munitions
Several of these Belgians who were
put to work in Berlin managed to get
away and come to see me. They gave
me narrowing account of how they
had been seized in Belgium and made
to work in Germany at making muni-
tions to be used probably against their
own friends.
II said TO the chancellor, There are
Belgians employed in making shells
contrary to all rules of war and the
Hague conventions He said. Il do
not believe it 1 said, My automobile
is at the door. / can take you, in four
minutes, to where 80 Belgians are
working on the manufacture of shells
t1,,k h. ala. ~.
Americans muSt understand that
the Germans will stop at nothing to
win this war. and that the only thing
they respect is force."-James w. Ge-
rard. My Four Years in Germany, 1871.
PIP. 3951-52.
A similar point of view is expressed
In an article entitled "vae victIs"
from the Hungarian newspaper News
zawa of Budapest QUOTED In X. G. Os-
sInnnilsson. Militarism at Work In Bel
GUM and Germany, 1917. PIP. 53-54.)
Mixed Hungarian Opinion.
Mechanical skill, and especially
qualified mechanical skill, is for the
moment more important factor than
usual, and as 1t must be obtained
where 1t can be obtained, Belgium has
had to suffer I'm accordance with the
old saying which always holds good:
Vac victis (woe to the vanquished).
In Poland mechanical skill and the
arms which exist there are mobilized
under the glorious and fortunate BAN
ners of Poland;' in Belgium under the
banner of necessity"
a.. The question remains: for.
what kind of work will tho Nor,x..z.,
use the Belgians? :. every kind of