Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-03-15
BELGIUM PLUNDERED and TORTURED
BY The WAR.MAD GERMAN MILITARY
Never Has There Been Bgadage So Methodca So Complete
War Contributions Alone Have Drained the Country Of Money
Raw Materials and All Economic Equipment Car.
red 0h-Famne Now Threatens

Washington. people Of the
United States have general Idea OF
the awful condition existing In Bel.
glum on account Of the Invasion OF the
Huns. Stories Of atrocities have been
published and II Is one unforglvable
fact against the Germans that they can
make no explanation for the outrageous
treatment they have inflicted upon the
inoffenslve people Of small, weak ma
tlon. II there was no other reason for
keeping the war spirit alive In the
United States. until the wrongs Of Bel
GUM were under process OF being
rlghted. those wrongs would cry aloud
to every decent-thnklng person and
make them insist that the war shall go
ON to successful conclusion. and fur
ther that the perpetrators Of the hide
Gus deeds In Belgium be punished.
The official Belgian information serv.
Ice has procured facts showing the
situation OF the Belgian territory Occu-
pied by the Germans ut the present
time. Not all Of the stories that have
been published from time TO time give
such a complete summary Of actual
conditions as this statement compiled
from the latest reports which show
the great necessity TO continue the
work that has been carried on for more
than three years in America for the
relief Of the people In Belgium. II
seems almost incredible that any M
ton calling itself civilized could lnfllct
upon the people of small nation the
horrors which are described In the fol-
lowing.
The Material Suffering.
In the material domain never has
there been seen brlgandage so meth
odlcal or so complete. War contrlbu-
tons alone have, up to the present
time. drained the country Of nearly two
billions of francs. These are still be-
ing collected TO the amount of sixty
million francs month. To this sum
must be added faes upon scores Of
thousands Of individuals and the levies
and fines imposed upon the tilmlest
pretexts, upon numerous localities, the
total Of which amounts to several hun
dred millions. The deposits Of the ma
tlonal bank and the General Society of
Belgium, amounting to four hundred
thirty millions of marks were seized.
The stocks OF raw materials, the ma.
chnery, In short all the economic
equipment have been requlsitloned and
carried away At the beginning of 1915
the German depredations In Belgium
were estimated at eight billion francs.
1t would be difficult to make even an
approximate estimate of them today.
The invaders have plundered and are
often demollshing the factories, not
only to send the machinery and the
old iron to Germany but for the
av0wed purpose Of running Belgian In.
dustry after the war. They are now
plundering private d0mlciles. Their
pollatlons extend to bedding, cloth.
Ing, casseroles, window knobs, rods
and objects Of art. All that centuries
ia high civilization and long years
of labor had accumulated In the coun-
try has been devoured by the monster.
The bells In many churches, the statues
In the public squares of Alost and
Mons and the monuments In many
cemeteries have been sent to the foun-
dry. The systematic destruction of the
forests goes on, on large scale. More
than two thousand barges have been
seized. Horses have practically dlsap-
peared.
Famine and Diseases.
The cessation of labor, the obstacles
placed to the employment OF those
without work, the acquisitions Of ma.
chinery and cattle. rs well as vexatIons
OF hH sorts have once more evoked
that plague which we believed to have
been forever overcome In Europe
famine.
Working In close cooperation with
the Belgian and allied governments,
the commission for relief In Belgium
has striven by all possible means tc
lessen Its horrors and to facilitate the
enormous task assumed by the ma
tional committee on food supply. In
1917 1t has been confronted by stu
pendous difficulties; importations fell
far short of needs, tonnage was lack
Ing, and the enemy mercilassly torpe-