Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-01-11
GERMAN HONOR
DRAGGED IN DUST
Solemn Promises Made to Bel
gianS Proved to Be Worse
Than Worthless.
ALL APPEALS WERE FLOUTED
Pathetic and Dignified Supplcations of
Municipal Governments Answered
by Rebuke and E;eavy Fine
Imposed by General HOPPER.

OteF hHe AITHeSG protest Oy CuT0t-
nal Mercier, heroic head of the
church in Belgium, the terrible
plans of the kaiser's high officers
concerning the deportation Of the
people Were carried out. The SOL
emnIy pledged word of the German
governor general of Belgium count
ed as nothing in the malignant hate
SboWn by the kGiser'S creatures.
Cardinal Mercier attempted to per-
suade the German authorities to aban-
don their terrible plans for the seizure
of Belgians to assist in the prosecu-
ton of the war, reminding them of
their solemn promises in the past
'Malines, 10Th October, 1916.
"Mr. Governor General:
"The day after the surrender of Ant
werp the frightened population asked
itself what would become of the Bel
gians of age to bear arms or who would
reach that age before the end of the
occupation. The entreaties of the ia
theirs and mothers of families deter
mined me to question the governor of
Antwerp, Baron Won Huene, who had
the kindness to reassure me and to
authorize me in his name to reassure
the agonized parents. The rumor had
spread at Antwerp, nevertheless, that
at Liege, Namur, and Charleroi young
men had been seized and taken by
= 7
ged Governor Won Huene to be good
enough to confirm to me in writing the
guarantee 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-
mors 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
Solemn German Promises Broken.
"Upon the arrival of your predeces-
sor, the late Baron Won der Goltz, at
Brussels I 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
had given me for the province of Ant
werp. The governor general retained
this request in his possession in order
to examine it at his leisure. The fol-
lowing day he was good enough to
his approval, and confirmed to me, in
the presence of two aides-de-camp and
of my private secretary, the promise
/ that the liberty of Belgian citizens
would be respected.
Notwithstanding all this. your gov
| ernment now tears from their homes
workmen reduced in spite of their eff
| forts to state of unemployment, sep
arates them by force from their wives
/ and children and deports them to en-
emy territory. Numerous workmer
have already undergone this unhappy
lot; more numerous are those who are
threatened with the same acts of VIC
lence.
Mercier's Moving Appeal.
''In the name of the liberty of d0mi
cile and the liberty of work of Belgian
/ citizens; in the name of the inviola
bility of families; in the name of NOR
al interests which the measures of de
portation would gravely compromise
in the name of the word given by thu
governor of the Province of ANTWERP
and by the governor general, the i'm
mediate representative of the higheS
authority of the German empire, re
spectfully beg your eXcellency to b,
good enough to withdraw the measure
of forced labor and of deportation an
nounced to the Belgian workmen, ant
to be good enough to reinstate in thei
homes those who have already beel
deported.
"Your excellency will appreciate hov
painful for me would be the weight o
the responsibility that 1 would hav
to bear as regards these families,
the confidence which they have give
you through my agency and at my re
quest were lamentably deceived
II persist in believing that this wi
not be the case.
accept, Mr.. Governor General, tn
assurance of my very high considers
ton.
I'D. J. CARDINAL MERCER,
"Arch. of Malines."
Municipal governments in Belgiur
appealed to the German authorities t
observe their promises. The two dot
uments which follow illustrate Relpja