Denver labor bulletin., 1918-04-06

"In the name of the international
solidarity of workmen the working
classes of Belgium, menaced by slav-
cry, deportations and forced labor for
the enemy, now address their supreme
appeal for energetic and efficacious
assistance to the working classes of
the world"
Slavery, deportation and forced la
Dor for the enemy.
Merciless German Officers.
This is what the Germans are fore
ing on the skilled and unskilled
working men and working women of
Belgium and other conquered lands.
The masters are the merciless Ger
man officers who have forced the work
men of their own land into the
trenches and have dragged into the
mines and factories the unwilling
workers Of conquered nations TO NIL
their places.
Slavery. such as this country fought
thru a terrible four years war to
abolish, was kind as compared to the
slavery into which the Germans have
forced the working men Of Poland,
Serbia and Belgium. In the old days
the slave. al least, had a value in dol
lars and cents II he died the owner
suffered "a money loss. The slave was
well fed. as a rule. and well cared
for, because the owner did not want
him TO die. il for no other reason.
But no such motive-even tho it
may be purely selhsh-actuates the
German slave driver. As long as the
supply Of small nations which he may
overruu holds out, he does not care II
the enslaved workers die. All he
needs do is send his army out and
round up more As a result the slaves
Of the new German lust of conquest
white men, educated men, sometimes
even organized men like ourselves
are beaten, starved and often brutally
killed
The masters suffer no loss when
the slaves die. In fact, they rather
prefer the slaves to die. after a GER
tain time. because the war will come
to an end some day and II the skilled
workmen of other nations are dead,
then those of the German workmen
who survive the war will have Just
that much less competition.
Appeal From Organized Workers.
Fragmentary details of the bar
barous treatment of the conquered
populations Of Poland. Serbia and the
Russian provinces which have been
overrun by the Germans have come
to light, but it is from Belgium, where
the organized workmen have issued
an appeal-an appeal just as formal
and just as authoritative as one from
the American Federation of Labor
to the workmen of other nations, that
the best and clearest description of
German ruthlessness toward the work
ers comes.
The appeal begins with the impas-
stoned sentence quoted at the begin
ming of this article. Then follows a
detailed recital of how Germany im-
posed enormous levies on the con-
quered Belgian provinces and cities,
into idleness because she refused to
keep her agreement to allow England
to supply raw materials on condition
that the products be not seized by
the conquerors. The Germans next
seized on the prcteNt that these work
ers were idle because they would not
work as a reason for deporting them
into Germany.
"Thcy say to the 100000 involun-
tary idlers," the appeal continues,
whom they themselves have forced
into that position and kept there;
Either you must sign n contract for
work in Germany, or you will be taken
as slaves
"In either case it is exile. deporta-
ton. forced labor in the enemy's in
terost and against their own country;
terrible punishments-the cruelest
that have ever been inflicted to pun
ish crime-are carried out. And what
are these crimes?