Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-01-24

Iect people, the Armenian massacres,
atrocities, frfghtfulness, sinking the
Lusitania, the submarine horrors, the
enslavement Of wOmen-all piece into
The monstrous view. The rights of ma
lions, the rights of men, the lives and
liberties Of all people are subordinate
to the German aim Of dominion over
all the world.
"FREDERIC g. WALCOTT."
Mr.. Vernon Kellogg's statement is
as follows:
Saw Only Massacre and Ruin.
1T was my privilege-and necessity
I'm connection with the work of the
commission for relief in Belgium to
spend several months at the great
headquarters Of the German armies in
the west, and later to spend more
months at Brussels as the commits
sion's director for Belgium and occu-
pied France. It was IN enforced op-
portunity to see something of German
practice in the treatment of con-
Quered people, part of whom (the
French and the inhabitants of the Bel
gtan provinces of East and West Flan-
ders) were under the direct control of
the German general staff and the sew
| eral German armies of the west, and
part, the Inhabitants of the seven other
belgian provinces under the quasi
civil government of Governor General
Won Bissing. did not enter the occu-
pied territories, until June, 1916, and
SO, OF course, saw none of the actual In
vaslon and Overrunning of the land.
saw only the graves of the massacred
and the ruins of their towns. But I
saw through the long, hard months
much too much for my peace of mind
Of how the Germans treated the un-
fortunates under their control after the
occupation.
Destruction Complete.
"As chief representative for the com.
mission, it was my duty to cover this
whole territory repeatedly in long mo-
tor journeys in company with the Ger
| man officer assigned for my protection
and forthe protection of the German
army against any too much seeing. AS
i had opportunity also to cover most of
Belgium in repeated trips from Brus-
sells into the various provinces, / nee
essarily had opportunity to compare
! the destruction wrought in the two re.
gions.
\ Il. could understand why certain
towns and villages along the Meuse a MI
along the lines of the French and Eng
lish retreat were badly shot to pieces.
There had been fighting in these towns;
and the artillery Of first one side and
then the other had worked their havoc.
| among the houses of the inhabitants.
But there We're many towns in which
| there had been no fighting and yet all
too maRy 2of these towns also We're in
ruins. 1t was not ruin by shells. but
ruin by fire and explosions. These.
were the famous punished towns.
Either afcitizen or perhaps two, on
1 three citizens had fired from window
the invaders--or were alleged to
have. Thereupon block, or two or
three blocks, or half, the town was.
methodically and effectively burned or
blown to pieces. There are many of
these punished towns in occupied
France. And between these towns ana
along the roadways are innu1nerable
4 isolated single farmhouses that are also
IN ruins. 1t is not claimed that there
was any sniping from these farm
houses. They were just destroyed along
the way-and by the way, one may
say. When the roll of DESTROYED vii
lagos and destroyed farmhouses in oc.
clpled France is made known, the
world will be shocked again by this evi-
dence OF German thoroughness.
Found Neutrality Impossible.
"But the horrible methods of that
deportation We're such that we, al
though trying to hold steadfast to
| rigorous neutrality, could not bus pro-
i test. Mr. Gerard, our ambassador to
Bertin. happened at the very time of
! this protest to make visit to the
great headquarters in the west and the
matter was brought to the attention
of certain high officers at Headquarters
| on the very day of Mr.. Gerard's visit
and in his herring. SO that he added
his own protest to that of Mr.. Poland,
our director at the time, and further
| dcportations We're stopped. But a ter.
1 rible mischief had already fbeen done.
Husbands and fathers had been taken
from their families withoutsn word of
\ good-by; sons and daughters OH whoau
1 perhaps aged parents relied for s,s,-
port were taken without pity or appar-
ent thought of the terrible conse.
quences. The great deportations Of
Belgium have shocked the world. But
1 these lesser deportations-that is.
lesser in extent, but not less brutal in
| their carrying out-are hardly known,
Germany Must Be Civilized.
Il went into Belgium and occupied
France a neutral and I maintained
while there a stcaGfastly neutral be
4 hayior. But / came out no neutral. /
cannot conceive that any American en-.
1 jOying an experience similar to mine
could have come out neutral. He
would come out as l came, with the
ineradicable conviction that people
or a government which can do what the
Germans did and are doing in Belgium
and France today must not be allowed,
If there is power on earth to prevent It.
TO do this a moment longer than can ba
helped. And they must not be al.
lowed ever to do it again.
II went in also hater of war. and i
Y rlmp 0ut n mora s.r1ont J,o fo~f 80 .,,...