The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-03
Farmers Hold First Line Food
Trenches, Says Sec. Houston
PHASES OF DEPORTATION AS
PRACTICED IN BELGIUM

ington, D. c., has prepared the fol.
lowing from material received from
the Belgian Government regarding
the deportation and forced labor in.
ficted on Belgian civilians, by order
of the German Government
THE last information, which has
reached the Belgian Government at
LIE Havrefi France, from occupied Bel
GUM. shows that deportation and
forced labor are still being carried on
especially in the military zone which
comprises the two Flanders and a
great part of the Provinces of Hahn
aut, Hamur, and Luxembourg.
But deportations and forced labor
have at present assumed a new char
acter The Belgians, instead Of be-
ing sent to Germany as formerly, are
now being sent to work in the regions
behind the German front in France
and Belgium. Besides, the Germans
who formerly deported the Belgians
under the pretext of giving work to
the unemployed, now send them to
the north of France and compel them
to work, pretending that, in virtue Of
Article of the order issued by the
German General Headquarters on Oc-
tober 3, 1916, every inhabitant of the
country may be compelled to give his
help in case of public calamity, even
outside his residence.
This modification in the policy Of
deportations took place in 1917.
Then, as a consequence of the uni
versal protests raised against this
policy, the German Emperor issued
instructions to the effect that 'depor-
tations of unemployed Belgians to
Germany be stopped until further or
der But these instructions were
carried out only partly and very
slowly. Moreover, they did not apply
to the thousands of civilians who
have been sent behind the German
front in France.
"The chiefs of several German ar.
mics Intentionally misconstrued the
instructions of the German Emperor.
They pretended to understand that
these instructions only forbade the
sending of Belgian citizens to Ger
many but not to other regions and
thus they continued sending them to
the regions behind the German front
in France and Belgium.
"At the same time, after the Ger.
man authorities had pretended to lis.
ten to the protests of the neutrals,
and had stated that they would stop
the deportations, they ceased to take
any more men under the pretext Of
unemployment. But they had re-
course to Article of the above de-
cree Of October 8, 1916, which reads
as follows:
Every inhabitant of the country
is bound to give his help in case Of
accidents and general danger, and
also to bring relief in case of public
calamity with all his power, even
outside his residence. II he refuses
he may be compelled by force to do
So
1T has thus been sufficient for the
German authorities to decide that the
regions occupied by their armies are
in a state Of public calamity to take
away from their homes, in many re-
gions of Belgium, men, women, and
even children IA years old, and com.
pei them to work.
THE authorities have thus contin-
ued, principally in the territories in
the zone of the armies, to tear the
Belgians away from their homes in
order to transport them into the re.
gions Immediately behind the German
front in France or in Belgium There
they are horded like cattle in special
camps, compelled to do the work of
military character or interest. Many
are sent into the zone of operations
and exposed to the fire of the Belgian
or Allied batteries. Besides they are
subjected to, bad treatment and bru-
taility. Their complaints do not
reach the outside world, for the mill.
tary zone, where they are sent, is
strictly closed and no delegate Of a
neutral power is ever allowed to en-
ter this territory. Not only men of
all walks of life, but even boys from