The daily Alaskan., 1918-02-15
Solemn Promises Made to Bel uians Proved to Be Worse
 Than Worthless.
ALL APPEALS WERE FL0UTED
Pathetic and DlgnIfied Supplieatlons ot Municipal Governments Answered by Rebuke and Heavy Fine
 Imposed by General HoPfer.

nal Mercisr, heroic head of the church in Belgium, the terrible plans of the kaiSer's high officers concerning the deportation Ot the people Were carried out. The so!- smnly pledged vord of the German gouernor general Of Belgium count ed aS nothing in ths malignant 5Gts shown by the kaiSer'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- tiOu of the war, reminding them of their solemn promises in the past:
 'MNlines, 18th October, 1918. "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 fla thers and mothers of families deter mined me to question the governor of Antwerp, Baron vOn Huene, who had the kindness to reuSSure 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 force to Germany. l therefore beg ged Governor vOn Hueue 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 mepts, the following: Young men have DO reason to fear that they will be ta- ken to Germany, either 10 be there en- rolled in the army or employed for forced labor
 This declaration, written and sign ed, was publicly transmitted to the clergy and to those of the faith of the province of Antwerp, as your excel lency can see from the document en- closed herewith, dated October 18th, 1914, which was read in all the church eS.
 Solemn German Promises Broken.
 Upon the arrival of your predeces- sor, the late Baron vOn der GOltz, at Brussels had the honor of presenting myself at his house and requested him to be good enough 10 ratify for the en- tire country, without time limit, the guarantees which General von Huene had given me for the province of Ant werp. The governor general retained this request in his possession in order 10 examine 1t at his leisure. The fol lowing dny he was good enough to come ln person to Mulines to bring me 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.
 ITO doubt the authority of such un' dertakingS would have been to reflect upon the persons who had made them, and therefore took steps to allay, by All the means of persuasion in my power. the anxieties which persisted In the interested families.
 Notwithstanding all this. your gov ernment now tears from their homes workmen reduced In spite of their ef, forts to a state of unemployment, sep arates them by force from their wives and children and depOrts them to en' pmy territory. Numerous wOrkmen have already undergone this unhappy lot; more numerous are those who are threatened with the same acts of Vio, lence
 MercieTs Moving Appeal.
 "In the name og the liberty of domi' cile and the liberty of work of Belgian citizens: in the name of the inVlola' bility of families; in the name of nor al interests which the measures of de portation would grayely compromise in the name of the word given by the governor of the Province of Antwerp and by the governor general, the i'm mediate representative of the highest authority of the German empire, l re- spectfully beg your eXceliency to be good enough to withdraw the measures of forced labor and of deportation an bounced to the Belgian wOrkmen, and to be good enough to reinstate In theit homes those who have already been | deported.
 "Your excellency will appreciate how | painful for me would be the weight ot the responsibility that l would have to bear as regards these families, Ii the confidence which they have given you through my agency and at my re quest were lamentably deceived.
 q persist In believing that this will not be the case.
 Accept, Mir. Governor General, the assurance of my very high considers tim