Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-02-28
Urged That lnhuman Deporta-
tions Be Stopped Because Of
Effect on NeutraIS.
GERARD SUMS UP SITUATION
Germans Will Stop at Nothing, anu
the Only Thing They Respect Is
Force" - Huns Capacity for
Cruelty Told by Whitlock.

dePOrtatlOnS Of the people in Bel
gium and France, socialist deputies
in the reichstag protested against
The continuance of the practice. Am
baSSadOr GerdrdS Evidence showS the
ertent of the horror
In the Norddeutsche Allgemeine
Zeltung of December ., 1916, the fol-
lowing protests against the deporta-
tion Of Belgians to work in Germany
appeared, made, respectively, by So
cialist Deputy Haase and Deputy Dit
mann, members of the relchstag:
Thousands of workmen in the oc-
cupied territory have been compelled
to forced labor; we earnestly ask the
government to restore to these work
men their liberty, especially In Bel
GUM. In truth, we (the Germans) find
no sympathy In neutral countries; even
the pope has made a protest against
this procedure, and several neutral
states have done the same. Common
sepse itself demands that we abandon
this procedure which moreover Is in
opposition to the Hague convention to
which we have agreed
"In opposition to the secretary Of
state, / must recall that when former
ly the Belgian workmen who had fled
to Holland returned to Belgium, Gov
ernor General Won Bissing promised
that these Belgian workmen would un-
der no circumstances be deported TO
Germany. This reassuring promise
has not been kept"
Ambassador Gerard's interesting tes-
tlmOny appears in his recent book:
Ambassador Gerard's Evidence.
rne president during my visit to
America in 1916) impressed upon me
his great interest In the Belgians de
ported to Germany. The action of Ger
many In thus carrying great part Of
the male population of Belgium into
virtual slavery had reused great indig-
nation in America. As the revered
Cardinal Farley said to me few days
before my departure, You have to go
back to the times of the Medes and
the Persians TO find like example of
whole people carried into bondage
"Mr. Grew had made representations
about this to the chancellor and, on my
return, I Immediately took up the
question.
81 was informed that it was a mill
tary measure, that LudendOrf had
feared that the British would break
through and Overrun Belgium and that
the military did not propose to have a
hostile population at their backs who |
might cut the rail lines of commum-
cation, telephones and telegraphs and |
that for this reason the deportation
had been decided on. was, however
told | would be given permission to
visit these Belgians. The passes, new
which alone made such visit.
ng possible were not delivered until a
'ew days before left Germany.
Belgians Forced to Make Munitions.
Several of these Belglans who were
,ut to work In Berlin managed to get
way and come to see me. They gave
ne a narrowing account Of how they
ad been seized in Belgium and made
o work in Germany at making muni-
Ions to be used probably against their
wn friends.
81 said to the chancellor, There are {
elgians employed in making shells
Dntrary to all rules of war and the
Iague conventions He said, I do
OF believe it, i said, MY automobile {
at the door. I can take you, in four t
inutes, to where 30 Belgans are u
orklng on the manufacture of shells a
ut he did not find time to go.
Americans must understand that
e Germans will stop Mt nothing to
in this war, and that the only thing {
ey respect is force" e."-James W. Ge- "
rd. My Four Years In Germany, 1914 s
}. 3951-52. 4
A similar point of view is expressed q
an article entitled "Vae Victis'
ON the Hungarian newspaper News
wa of Budapest QUOTED In X. G. Os- 81
lnnilsson, Mllitarism at Work in Bel n
nm and Germany, 1917, PIP. 53-54.) F
Mixed Hungarian Opinion.
Mechanical skin, and especially a
allied mechanical skill, Is for the W
,ment more important factor than Il
ual, and as It must be obtained 81
lere 1t can be obtained Belgium has II
d to suffer In accordance with the
saying which always holds good ri
e vlctis (woe to the vanqushed). lie
Poland mechanical skill and the OF
ms which exist there are mobilized be
der the glorious and fortunate ban, of
RS of Poland : in Belgium under the m
nner Of necessity" IN
:. T.. The question remains: for Of
at kind of work will the Germans sa
: the Belgians? . every kind of fir
rk in Germany is war work, wheth- ar
II is called agricultural or indus co
al work. AS the deported Belglans OF
We not given their consent, their use IN
contrary to international law, and he
policy of the Germans In Belgium IN
Poland is equally to be deplored an
tead Of aiming at bringing us near ba
peace, 1t serves to embitter our op- lni
tents and to arouse more hatred TO- 1eT