The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-22
The Thieves Must Paw.

German efficiency has been nowhere
homes of the people. While the German
government must be held responsible for
the systematic freebooting of its soldiery
hInder orders, individual responsibility
should be driven home in the cases of
commanders who stole for themselves.
General Won Fleck, at Ham, commanding
the 18th German corps, carried away
with him the furniture Of the house
which he had occupied in the town. GEN
eral Hahn, commanding the 35th division
at Nesle, is accused Of having set the ex-
ample to his men by having the furniture
of room in which he had lived for four
months removed. After a weeks oecu-
pancy of a chateau, Prince Eitel Fritz,
the duke of Brunswick, and another no.
bleman of less importance, had all the
dresses that could be found in the ward
robes belonging to the lady of the house
and her daughters packed up before their
own eyes, and sent to Germany. Should
there not be punishment for contempt
ible crimes such as theseg
The pillagers of Belgium and northern
France, of Serbia, Montenegro and Ru-
mania, must be called to account and
made to pay Many Of the losses Of
property, both public and private, are ir-
reparable. No money can replace the
cathedrals, churches, town halls and 9th
er public buildings that have been wan.
tonly destroyed Think Of the stripping
and wrecking of factories and works of
every kind, and the sending of the ma
chinery to Germany, for sale to all who
wished to buy. Never before in all the
history of the world was the lowest sort
of looting conducted on such a scale.
| What says the law in regard to this :
| The international convention concluded
at The Hague on Oct. IS, 1907, and signed
| by Germany, provides of course, in ar
ticle 56, with respect to religious, chart
| table and educational establishments, that
call seizure, destruction or willful dilapi-
dation of such establishments, of historic
! buildings, of works of art or of science
is forbidden, and should be punished. "
But the convention deals first with the
property rights of individuals and fam
lilies. There could be no terser or clearer
declarations of the law of nations than
these: In article 40, Private property
cannot be conhscated," and in article AZ,
"Pillage is explicitly forbidden"
The laws that were soemnly promul.
gated by the great powers at The Hague
have been broken, willfuIly and CON
temptuously, throughout the war. What
do The French and Belgian soldiers find
day by day on entering the recovered
towns and cities which before the inva-
sion were famous for their lace factories,
locomotive works, rolling mills and other
industrial enterprises2 Empty buildings,
if the walls yet stand. Every machine,
little and big, from spindle to blast fur
mace, was carried off to the Germans.
Their factory department formed the as.
ISOLATION of German metallurgists, with
their selling office at Dusseldorf, an
Inouncing that they would "act as inter
mediaries for procuring industrial plants
from the occupied countries" and invit-
ing applications for Fall manner of appli-
ances," including blast furnaces, rolling
mills of every description, together with
the machinery for driving them and sep
arate parts, also secondary installations
and transport eontrivances" The Ger
mans sold the stolen property and pock-
eted the proceeds.-Bosto Herald