The Snowflake herald., 1918-07-05

y T,noosed by General HOPPER.
o,,, the earnest protest of Cordi-
! w Tsrcier, heroic head of the
'r s',cR IN Belgium, the terrible
@~@ 1,,s of the kGiser's high officers
p.,~ ..,,rrinq the deportation of the
r.,1 ..,1s mere carried out. The SOL
rys .na| oIedgod word of the German
,,,,r.y ,,rsrnor general of Belgium count
w., y y, nothing in the malignant hate
IL 5o~n By the kaiser's creatures.
"Co Cardinal Mercier attempted to per-
.So % tbe German authorities to aban-
s'r ,'a tbpir terrible plans for the seizure
w. ~ ppIgians to assist in the prOsecu-
a,n of the war, reminding them of
@air a solemn promises in the past:
D "Malines, 10th October, 1916.
nrr Governor General:
wrbp day after the surrender of Ant
u,,n the frightened population asked
.sof what would become of the Bel
@ons Of age to bear arms or who would
,socb that age before the end of the
,,cnnatiOn. The~entreaties Of the IA
Aprs and mothers Of families deter
mined me to question the governor of
antwerp. Baron Won Huene, who had
tbo kindness to reassure me and to
authorize me in his name to reaSSure
be agOnized parents. The rumOr had
gread at Antwerp, nevertheless, that
Of Liege. Namur, ard Charleroi young
mon had been seized and taken by
force TO Germany. l therefore beg
gpd Governor Won Huene to be good
enough to confirm to me in writing the
marantee which he had given to me
orally, to the effect that nothing SIM
liar would happen at Antwerp. He
said to me Immediately that the ru-
nOS concerning depOrtatiOns were
without basis, and unhesitatingly he
sent me in writing, among other state
ments, the following: Young men have
no reason to fear that they will be ta-
ken to Germany, either to be there en-
rolled in the army or employed for
forced labor
"This declaration, written and sign
ed, was publicly transmitted to the
clergy and to those of the faith of
the province of Antwerp, as your excel
lency can see from the document en-
closed herewith, dated October 10th,
1914 which was read in all the church
eS
Solemn German Promises Broken.
Upon the arrival of your predeces-
sOr, the late Baron Won der Goltz, at
Brussels had the honor of presenting
myself at his house and requested him
to be good enough to ratify for the en-
tire country, without time limit, the
guarantees which General Won Huene
mad given me for the province of Ant
Werp The governor general retained
this request in his possession in order
10 examine it at his leisure. The fol-
lowing day he was good enough to
come in person to MaIines to bring me
Ills approval, and confirmed to me, in
Inc presence of two aides-de-camp and
Of my private secretary, the promise
lnat the liberty of Belgian citizens
would be respected.
10 doubt the authority of such un-
uertakings would have been to reflect
upon the persons who had made them,
ana therefore took steps to allay, by
all the means of persuasion in my
power, the anxieties which persisted in
ue interested families.
Notwithstanding all this, your gov
now tears from their homes
SOIAlnen reduced in spite Of their eff
lOrlS to state of unemployment, sep
uales them by force from their wives
u1u children and deports them to en-
,my , territory. Numerous wOrkmen
IL nave already undergone this unhappy
~ .p'' more numerous are those who are
u ,Iu'eaIened with the same acts of vio-
lence.
4, mercieTs Moving Appeal.
=, III the name of the liberty of domi-
.ae .,'5 and the liberty of work of Belgian
t,! tSu]ellS; in the name of the inviola-
y, o,u'y OF families; in the name of NOR
n.Ii >, n'ereSts which the measures of de-
II b'' - ,ouon would gravely compromise
o.. o. u'e name of the word given by the
oo,eLllor o., of the Province of Antwerp
G MY ny the governor general, the i'm
omn sl'ate representative of the highest
sn.'la ,''o1lIy of the German empire, I re-
ooos ooosuuly beg your excellency to be
81 osVu enough to withdraw the measures
nor, aO'ced labor and of deportation an
to l1'eu 10 the Belgian workmen, and
h.. Oe good enough to reinstate in their
ion aeS those who have already been
Ds,asI 1Uur excellency will appreciate how
ba ~ u Tor me would be the weight Of
to teSponSibility that l would have
tbo oe"r car as regards these families, if
yo, tVundence =, which they have given
,no,t through my agency and at my re-
% ' were lamentably deceived.
7ot , persist in believing that this will
~. be the case.
,So1. eept' Mr.. Governor General, the
i'm lance Of my very high considera-