The Benson signal., 1918-01-19

1
Democracy, an idle dream. The true
| PruSSian lives only for this, that the
German state may be mighty and great
"All the woes in the long count
against Germany are part of the Prus,
sian system. The invasion of Belgium,
the depOrtations, the starving of sub
ject people, the Armenian massacres.
atrocities, frightfulness, sinking the
Lusltania, the submarine horrors, the
enslavement of wOmen-all piece into
the monstrOuS view. The rights of ma
tons, the rights of men, the lives a1d
liberties of all people are subordinate
to the German aim of dOminidu over
all the world.
"FREDERIC c. WALCOTT."
Mr.. Vernon Kelloggs statement Is
as follows:
Saw Only Massacre and Ruin.
| IL was my privilege-and necessity
In 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
slon'S director for Belgium and occu-
pled france. 1t was an enforced Op-
portunlty to see something of German
| practice in the treatment of a con-
quered people, part of whom (the
french and the inhabitants of the Bel
| gan provinces of East and West Flan-
ders) were under the direct control Of
the German general staff and the sew
eraI German armies of the west, and
part, the inhabitants of the seven other
belglan provinces, under the quasi
CIVIL government of Governor General
Won Bissing. l did not enter the occu-
pied territories until June, 1915, and
so, OF course, saw none of the actual in
vaslon and overrunning of the land.
saw only the graves of the massacred
ana the ruins of their towns. But
saw through the long, hard months
much too much for my peace of mind
or now the Germans treated the un-
fortunates under their control after the
occupation.
Il could understand why certain
towns and villages along the Meuse and
along the lines of the French and Eng
llsh 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 were many towns in which
there had been no fighting and yet all
too many of these towns also were in
ruins. 1t was not ruin by shells, but
ruin by fire and explosions. These
were the famous punished towns.
Either a citizen or perhaps two or
three citizens had fired from window
on the invaders-Or were alleged to
nave. ThereupOn a 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 and
along the rOadways are innumerable
| 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-
cupied France is made known, the
world will be shocked again by this evil
dence of German thoroughness.
Found Neutrality Impossible.
"But the horrible methods of that
deportation were such that we, al
though trying to hold steadfast to a
rigorous neutrality, could not but pro-
test. Mr.. Gerard, our ambassador to
Berlin, happened at the very time of
this protest to make a 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 hearing SO that he added
his own protest to that of Mr.. Poland,
our director at the time, and further
deportations were stopped. But ter
rible mischief had already been done.
Germany Must Be Civilized.
II went into Belgium and occupied
France a neutral and 1 maintained
| WlIlc LueE0 SloduldSJly neutral De-
havior. But I came out no neutral. l
cannot conceive that any American en-
joying an experience similar to mine
could have come out a neutral. He
would come out, as I came, with the
ineradicable conviction that a 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 be
helped. And they must not be al
lowed ever to do it again.
81 went in also hater of war, and I
came out a more ardent hater of war.
But, also, | came out with the ineradc-
able conviction, again, that the only
way in which Germany under its pres
ent rule and in its present state of
mind can be kept from doing what it
has done is by force of arms. 1t can