Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-01-25
Urged That Inhuman Deporta-
tions Be Stopped Because of
Effect on heutraIs.
GERARD SUMS UP SITUATION
>oermsns viii Stop at Nothing, anu
tho Only Thing They Respect Is
Force" Huns Capacity for
Cruelty Told by Whitiock.

aroused By the indignation showr
By the whole World oper The ruthless
Expectations Of the people IN BEL
GUM and France, socialist deputies
IN the reichstGg protested against
The continuance Of The practice. Am
bdssddor Gerard's Evidence shOws the
ertent Of the horror.
In the Norddeutsche Allgemelne
zeltung OF December 2, 1916. the fol-
lowing protests against the deporta-
tlon OF Belgians TO work In Germany
appeared. made respectively. by So
ciaiist Deputy Haase 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 10 restore 10 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 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"
I'm opposition TO the secretary OF
state, / must recall that when former
I y the Belgian workmen who had lied
to Holland returned TO Belgium, Gov
ernor General Won Kissing promised
that these Belgian workmen would I'M
der no circumstances be deported 10
Germany. This reassurlng promise
has not been kept"
Ambassador Gerards interesting ties.
tlmony appears In his recent book
Ambassador oerard's Evidence.
me president during my visit 10
America In 1870 impressed upon me
ms grent 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 indlg-
nation In America. As the revered
Cardinal Farley said 10 me a few days
before my departure. You have to 20
back 70 the times OF the Modes and
the Perslnns 10 find like example of |
whole people carried into bondage |
Mr.. Grew had made representa- tons |
about this 70 the chancellor and. on my |
return. immediately took up the
question
II was Informed That II was a milf
tary measure. that Ludendorf Ind
feared that tsse British would break
through and oyerrun Belgium and that
the military did not propose to have
hostile population M their backs who
might cut the rail lines of communn
cation. telephones and teiegraphs. and
that for this reason the deportation
had been decided on. l was. however.
told ! would be given permission to
visit these Relgians. The passes. new.
ertheless. which alone made such visit
Ing possible were not delivered until
few days before left Germany.
5elalans Forced to Make Munitions.
Several OF these Bclglans who were
put to work.ln Berlin managed TO get
away and come 10 see me. They gave
me narrowing account OF how they
had been seized IN Belgium aud made
20 work IN Germany at making muni-
ions 10 be used probably against their
,wn friends.
II said 20 the chancellor. There IRE
3elgians employed In making shells
contrary to all rules OF war and the
Hague conventions He said. L do
rot bslieve t. said. My automobile
5 az the door. can take you. In four
minutes. 90 where 80 Belgians are
Working on the Manufacture OF shells !
sut ne did not find time 10 20.
"Amerigans must understand that
he Germans win stop at nothing TO
vim this war. and that the only thing
hey respect IL force. James w Ge-
ard My Four Years In Germany, i9l..
y. so5l-52.
A simllar polut OF view IS expressed
n no article entitled "vae VlctisH
rom The Hungarian newspaper News
nwa Of budapest QUOTED in X. G. Os-
ianniisSon. Mllitarism at Work ~ Bel.
FUN and Germany, 1917. PIP, 5s-54) !
Mixed Hungarian Opinion.
Mechanical SKIN. and especially
uallf'ed mechanical skin, Is for the \
aoment 4 more important FACTOR than | [
sual. and as Il must be obtained :
rhers u can be obtained. Belgium has /
I'D 90 suffer IN accordance with the
ID saying which always holds good: a
'ae yictiss (woc to the vanQulshedl. i
n Poland mechanical skill aud the a
rms which exist there are niobilized b
nder the glorious aud fortunate ban a
ers % Poland : IN Belgium under the n
amer o. necessity" n
=. The question remains: Tor o
that Kind ~ work will the Germans 5
Sc the Belgians2 , every kind OF 4
york IN Germany is war work. whsth- q
r II Is called agricultural or indus c
rial work. AS the deported Belgians o
ave not given their consent. their use t
: contrary to international law. and h
he policy OF the Germans IN Belgium I
md Poland Is equally m ha denlnra.t =,