The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1918-02-22

Germany, who signed the conventions
of the second peace conference at The
Hague, 1907, pledged themselves to the
following:
article L. No general penalty, pc
cuniary or otherwise, shall be inflicted
upon the population on account of the
acts of individuals for which they cam
not be regarded as jointly and several
ly responsible
."Article LII. acquisitions in kind
and services shall not be demanded
from municipalities or inhabitants ex-
cept for the needs Of the army of Oc-
cupatiOn. They shall be in proportion
to the resources Of the country, and of
such a nature as not to involve the in
habitants in the obligation of taking
part in military operations against
their own country"
The German authorities have violat-
ed these articles from the very begin
ming. AS soon as they invaded Bel
GUM, heavy fines were laid upon indi-
vidual communities as reprisals for
some act against the German army or
it's regulations which was committed
within their boundaries. In IAN APP
peal to Truth Cardinal MERCER cites
the following cases:
"Malines, "a WOrking-class town,
without resources has had a fine of
10000 marks inflicted on it because
the burgomaster did not inform the
military authority of a journey which
the cardinal, deprived of the use of his
motorcar, had been obliged to make
on foot. In fact, upon the flimsiest
preteXts heavy fines are inflicted on
communes. The commune of Puers
was subjected to a fine of 5000 marks
because telegraph wire was broken,
although the inquiry showed that it
had given way through YEAR.
MerciIess Exactions.
In addition to such arbitrary,
sporadic exactions, in December 1914,
the Germans demanded 40,OOO,O 900
francs ($8OOO,OOO), month to be
paid by the Belgian provinces Jointly.
Concerning this enormous imposition
Cardinal MERCER says, in the appeal
to TRUTH
"Now, in December, 1914, Belgium
was devastated. Contributions of war
imposed on the towns and innumerable
acquisitions in kind had exhausted her.
The greater part of the factories were
idle, and in those which were still at
work, raw materials were, contrary to
all law, being freely Communicated.
1T was on this impoverished Bel
GUM, living on foreign charity, that a
contribution of nearly 5OO,OOO,OOO
francs was imposed"
The German military rules have also
made the families responsible for acts
committed by or charged against mem
bers as is shown in the following ex-
amples, which are quoted from the
appeal to Truth, cited above:
1.-The Belgian government have sent
/ orders to rejoin the army to the mi
litiamen Of several classes. All
those who receive these orders are
strictly forbidden to act upon them
In case of disobedience the
family of the militiaman will be held
equally responsible"
Punishment "Without Mercy"
The commander in chief of the Ger
man army in Belgium posted a procla
nation declaring:
THE villages where acts of hostility
shall be committed by the inhabitants
against our troops will be burned.
For all destruction of roads, rail-
ways, bridges, etc. the villages in the
neighbOrhoOd of the destruction will
be held responsible.
1.-The punishments announced above
will be carried out severely and with
out mercy. The whole community
will be held responsible. Hostage.
will be taken in large numbers. Thu
heaviest war taxes will be levied.''
At the end Of the appeal to Truth
Cardinal MERCER says:
But we cannot say all here, no.
quote all.
If, however, our readers wish fol
the proof Of the accusations
we shall be glad to furnish them
There is not in our letter. nor in tn,
four aDziexes fto the Appeal t,
TRUTH, one allegation of which ",
have not the proofs in our records