The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-21
SOCIALISTS SAW
GERMANY'S ERROR
Urged That Inhuman Deporta-
tons Be Stopped Because of
Effect on NeutraIs.
GERARD SUMS UP SITUATION
Germans Will Stop at Nothing, anu
the Only Thing They Respect is
rorce" Huns Capacity for
Cruelty Told by Whitlock.

aroused By the IMAGINATION Sh0Wf
By the whoge WorId over the ruthless
Expectations of the people in Bel
GUM and France, socialist deputies
in the reichstag protested ogains
the continuance Of the practice. Am
! 5assad0r Gerard'S eridence shoes tn |
crtent Of the horror.
In the NordGeutsche Allgcmeine
! Zeitung' of December ., 1916, the fol
| lowing protests against the deporta
uon of Bel CLANS to work in Gcrmar.
| appeared, made, respectively, by So
rialist Deputy Haasc and Deputy Ditt
mann, members of the reichstag:
! thousands of wcrkmen in the &C
! cupied territory have been compelled
to forced labor; we earnestly ask til.
! government to restore to these work
men their liberty, especially in Be
| gUm. In truth, we (the Germans) fin8
no sympathy in neutral countries; evea
the pope has made a protest against
| this procedure, and several neutral
ltates have done the same. COmmoa
sense itself demands that we abando9
this procedure which moreover is j.
opposition to the Hague convention t
which we have agreed"
I'm opposition to the secretary o
state, | must recall that when former
ly the Belgian worllmen who had tleC
to Holland returned to Belgium. Gov
: ornor General Won Kissing promised
that these Belgian wOrkmcn would IN
der no circumstances be deported t.
r Germany. This reassuring promise
| has not been kept"
l Ambassador Gerard's interesting ties
, timony appears in his recent book:
! Ambassador Gerard's Evidence.
me president during my visit to
America in 1870 impressed upon me
5 MS great interest in the BclgianS G.,
D ported TO Germany. The action of Ger
! many in thus carrying n great part OF
r the male population of Belgium into
4 J virtual slavery had reused great indig-
, nation in America. AS the revered
Cardinal Farley said to me few day.
- before my departure. You have to &c
d hack to the times of the Modes and
q the Persians to find like example OF
. a whole people carried into bondage.
It "lIr. Grew had made representations
1 about this to the chancellor and, on MY
$ return, I Immediately took up tho
I question.
Il was informed that it was mill
t0ry measure. that LudendOrf ha(
feared that the British would breal
through and overrun Belgium and tina
= The military did not propose to have ;
( hostile population at their backs VIII,
J might cut the rail lines of commun.
cation, telephones and telegraphs, ant
hat for this reason the deportatio,
had been decided on, | was. however
odd I would be given permission t
J., visit these Bclgians. The passes, ney
J orthclcSS, which alone made such visit
" ing possible were not delivered until
n foW days before I left Germany
q Beigians Forced to Make Munitions.
! Several of those Belgians who wer
II nut to work in Berlin managed to &C
II away and come to see me. They CAV
n, me q narrowing account of how the
had been seized in Belgium and mad
20 work in Germany at making nun
tons to he used probably against the
own friends.
II said to the chancellor, There az
ii Bclgians employed in making shell
II contrary to all rules of war and tt
Ii Hague conventions He said. 4 {
II rot believe it. l said. My automOhi
H IS at the door. I can take you, in for
II minutes, to where 80 Belgians al
II ~orlling on the manufacture of shell:
Dnt he did not find time to 60
II "Amcricans must understand tn;
II tha Germans viii stop at nothing
vim this war. and that the only thiI
II hey respect is force"-James W. G
II ard. Ny Four Years in Germany, 1911
II MP. 3o51-52.
II 4 similar point of view is express,
- n an article entitled "Vae Victi
= rom the Hungarian newspaper New
AVA Of Budapest QUOTED in X. G. C
sidnnilsson. Militarism ut Work in 3
gium and Germany, 1917. PIP. 53-54)
Mixed Hungarian Opinion.
II mechanical skill, and especial
II qualified mechanical skill, is for t
II moment more important factor til
II Usual, and as it must be obtain
II where it can be obtained. Belgium b
H had to suffer in accordance with t
II I'D saying which always holds goo
II Vac victis (voe to the vanquishet
II lii Poland Mechanical skill and
arms which exist there are mobili2
II nndcr the glorious and fortunate b'
ners of Poland;' in Belgium under &
banner Of necessity"
Is. The question remains:
=" that Kind Of work will the Germs
ms. tSe tile i''l-i''io every hihu
8 work in Germany is war work, vhe
VT. or it is called agricultural or ind
= tyial work. AS the deported Belgi;
have not @ivon their consent, their
No. rs contrary TO international law,
llty he policy Of the Germans in Belgi
ale, md Poland IS equally to be deplol
Gu" ~ ad of aiming IT bringing US ne
a.. II serves to emhitter our