Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-19
C0L0RED RACE VICTIM
OF GERMAN BRUTALITY
Tens of Thousands Died i'm South.
west Africa Result OF
Hun Aggression.
NO RIGHTS WE'RE RESPECTED
Statistics Gathered From Captured
Official Documents Show Horrible
Mistcatment OF native Popula.
tion-OHicials' Words Condemn.
nhy Diplomatic Correspondent


~ last Dr.. Solf claimed that Africa
should he difided between the powers
according to their merits as projectors
answer In the state of things revealed
ny the Report on the Natives of
by africa ss and Their Treatment
administrator of Southwest Africa. T.
H. NJ. Gorges.
Windhuk show exactly what German
protection" meant: aud no one who
remains ignorant Of them has any
moral right to express an opinion on
the future of the German African colo
MES. The evidence on which the Ger
man colonial administration is con-
their own official records.
Before considering what sort OF
we'll to speak plainly on three import
ant points. One is that The ordinary
plain man among the allies does not
care in the least who governs the Ger
man colonies provided i, be not Ger
many: but he is quite clear that Ger
many shall not make II hell upon earth
every colonizinS people has committed
crimes In its time: but things done by
mem centuries ago have no more TO
man brutalities of the Thirty Years
War have to do with German brutal
les to-day. And the last point Is this.
The allies. have no power TO give Ger
many back her colonies. even IL they
wished. They can. II they like. with
colonies again; that ia all they can do.
IN 1o11 THEY HAD ss1
OFFICIALS TO 800 FARCERS
Southwest Africa.Nwas both over-ad
ministercd and badly administered. In
1880 farmers; but the administration.
according to DR.. Rohrbach. formerly
settlement commissioner there, was
both soulless and pettifogCing; the
officials wrote endless minutes. but
knew little of the country or the peo-
fac, that the colonies offered no ca
reer. men only having an official term
Of from two to three years. SO that the
officials were often a bad type, the ser
vice being refuge for those who were
failures at home.
The settlers. too. were a bad type;
completely brutalized BY his methods
of massacre. and when the Kaiser
only the undesirables went from Ger.
many: But the two. worst sources of
trouble were the fecblencss OF success
The police The police were given ju-
dicial power. the most vicious system
ina ginable. and the poweriessncss of
which he recognized is we'll illustrated
by the confidential circular Of Won
SSsi'z TO his suoordinates, dated May
atone Dernourg's boosted colonial re
Seitz recognizes frankly the increase
in the brutal excuses aga inst natives"
BY both settlers and police. and the
useiessness Of the law courts; and de-
native rising. the only remedy tina,
occurs TO him Is to hope for change
threaten tina, settlers who iil-treat
their native servants shall no longer
be supplied with native la bora threat
OF courBe, never carried out. The ma
;.ves themselves were completely puz-
zled by the feebieness Of the central
administration: and the Bondeiswartz
chief. Abraham Kapper; expressed their
feelings when he said: Every Ger
man policeman and every German set
tier seems TO be the government"
ADOPTED FAvORITE PROGRAM
OF "RUTHLESSNESS"
The German never took the least
trouble tc understand native ways or
10 build on existing foundations. He
aimed az Ats; clearing the eogn,ry The
trow. while marveling at the way in
which tho British had secured the con-
hdence OF the natives. admitted that
coo only manage natives by ruth
icssness."
When Germany annexed the country
there were in II (outside Ovamboiand.
which was never ,occupied). we'll over
37,T42 The CHASTITY story OF the He
zero massacre Is now told in full for
The first time, and II is noteworthy that
administration. condemns Trotha be-
cause he massacred. not the IIereros.
but their cattle: The Germans had to
import Cape boys to work the dia-
inond mines: and Of the vast herds OF
cattle owned by the Hereros, not one
remained in 1905. Governor Won Lieut.
OF German rule: AT cost Of several
hundred, million marks and several
Of the three business assets OF, the
protectoratc-mining farming and ma
tive labor-destroyed the second en-
iireiy and t S Of the iase" And
solved the native problem by smash
ing tribal life and creating scarcity
colony and its inhabitants as prop
erty could not even manage their prop
erty decently: they were Ikea farmer
who should begin farming by killing
off the farm laborers and the stock
WAS UTTERLY FAITHLESS
TO PLEDGED WORD
The German does not alter. and the
report brings out over and over again
his utter faithlesSnesS to his pledged
word. At the Congo conference of 1885
Germany pledged herself to preserve
the aboriginal races and watch over
their interests: and she was prominent
at the Brussels antislavery conference
of 1890 In the various protection
agreements" made with native chiefs,
all-highest protection to chief and peo-
pie. and to see that Europeans re-
spected the laws, customs and usages
o: the natives. The result has been
massacre. even OF friendly Peoples the
breakup of tribal life and its sane
lions. and such n systematic degrada-
ion OF the women that H. took some
time for the British administration to
convince them that it was now safe for
them to resist the lusts of the German
settlers.
Again, after Trotha was recalled
Governor Won Lindequist issued a
proclamation saying that natives who
surrendered would be justly treated
that also personally guarantee to
starved. were at once sent to the mines
and in a short time GO per cent were
dead. The horrible story Of this sec
ond massacre is told by several white
eye witnesses.
The law itself was prostituted to the
purposes of the German settlers. The
object Of the bulk of the laws Of the
protectorate might, says the report bo
described as NMthe rnpula inr, &c -