The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-01-25

ward US amongst the neutrais. Man.
times and more and more We have |
had occasion TO observe that tile neu-
trails show more sympathy for Bel |
GUM than for any other beIligerent."
Old Men and Boys Taken.
The news dispatches Indicate that
the deportation and forced labor Of
Belgians still continue. In a dispatch
from Hayre (New York Evening Post,
September Is, 191T) it Is stated: THE
removal Of the civilian population Uf
Belgium continues, according TO adj
vices received here. The town of Rou-
lers. Immediately behind the battle
line in Flanders, has been evacuated
completely. Ostend Is being emptied
gradually, and two thousand persons
already have been sent from COurtrai"
in another dispatch from Havre
Washington Post, September "a, 1910
1t is stated that "the German military
authorities at Bruges. Belgium. are
conscripting forcibly all the boys and
men Of that city between the ages Of
fourteen and sixty to work In munldcn
factories and shipyards. The rich and
poor, shopkeepers and workmen, all
are being taken, only the school teach
ers, doctors, and priests escaping"
German Officer Rebuked Men.
The following order Of the Day"
shows how the town of Huy escaped
the fate Of so many Belgium and
| French towns Drunken German sol
diers were frightened and began to
shoot men and burn houses. The
commanding officer condemned this be-
cause 1t was not done by his order and
/ because two German soldiers were
wounded. It is evident that massacres
and arson were permitted only when
commanded by the officers.
Last night a shooting ARRAY took
| place. There is no evidence that the
inhabitants Of the towns had any arms
in their houses, nor is there evidence
that the people took part in the shoot
ing; on the contrary, it seems that the
soldiers were under the influence Of
alcohol, and began to shoot in a sense
less fear of a hostile attack.
The behavior Of the soldiers during
the night, with very few exceptions,
makes a scandalous impression.
st is highly deplorable when officers
or noncommissioned officers set houses
on fire without permission or order Of
the commanding. or, as the case may
be, the senior officer, or when by their
attitude they encourage the rank and
file to burn and plumber.
The miserable behavior Of the mer
caused a nonconmissioned officer and
a private to be seriously wounded b!
German bullets.
MAJOR Won BASSEWITZ."
Report Of Minister Whitlock.
zone interesting result of the depor
tations remains to be noted, resul
that once more places in relief tn
German capacity for laundering, a
: most as great as the German eapacit
for cruelty. Until the deportation
were begun there was no intense ha
tired on the part Of the lower classes
i. e. the workingmen and the peasants
The old Germans Of the Landsturn
had been quartered in Flemish homes
they and the inmates spoke nearly til
same language; they got along fairl,
| we'll: they helped the women with tn
work, the poor and the humble hayini
none Of those hatreds of patriotism
that are among the privileges of tn
| upper classes. 1t Is conceivable tina
| the Flemish population might hav
existed under German rule; it wa
, Teutonic in fits origin and anti-Frencl
always But now the Germans hay
! changed all that.
] ''They have dealt a mortal blow t
. any prospect they may ever have ha
, of being tolerated by the populatio
: of Flanders; in tearing away fror
nearly every humble home in the Ian
! a husband and q father or q son an
brother they have lighted a fire .
hatred that will never go out; the
p have brought home to every heart /
I the land, in way that will impress
p its horror indelibly on the memory {
: three generations. realization {
3 what German methods mean. not, a
+ with the early atrocities, in the hes
r of passion and the first lust of wa
hut by one of those deeds that max
) one despair Of the future of the HI
: man race, a deed coldly planned, stud
g ously matured, and deliberately an
q systematically executed. deed 5
q cruel that German soldiers are sal
r TO have wept in its execution. and :
. monstrous that even German Officer
are now said to be ashamed
"wHITLoCK."
I MIR. HeoveTs Conclusions.
o Mr.. Hoover's mature conclusions q
: the German practices in Belgium
which he wrote for the pamphlet i
!, sued by the committee on public il
formation. reinforce the detailed ey