Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-11-26


that the time had come when the
empire must force the men III the
occupied territories to work. AMI 1
recalled the repeated conferences
with reference to the unemployed
the chomeurS, as they are Calico
that incesSant preoccupation of the
Germans, a subject to which they
the nagglng persistence that char
acteriZed them. Once they had an
idea in their head there was no way
OF dislodg .ng it.
1 was hardy surprised; not that
/ expected precisely this, but the
Germans had tried every otheI
means they could think of to cUEi-
mel the chomeurs to work, and as
they put all their trust in force they
were not patient in argument or DIS
cuSSion-a waste of tune, they felt,
if one has the power to take what
one wants. Thus they added slavery
10 their creed, rounding it out and
making it symmetrical and complete.
Lhls new policy was coincidental
with the coming of Hindenburg 10
the western front; IL was the Worh
OF the military clique and they
gloried in It openly; the first-fruii
% tne policy which was to teach
Belgium 'wnat war is" as the
threat had been at the time of Hin
denburg's visit. The policy had not
rs yet been applied to the occupa
ton district; Won Kissing was SAID
TO be opposed 10 1t, and Won dar
Lanc&en had gone to Berlin to N
duce the government, if possible,
not TO apply such measures to Their
jurisdiction.
We were having our bi-weekly
meeting the following day TO dis
GuSS the relief work, and we talked
OF little else that afternoon than the
- don 800 HE4a
phemiSm by which the Slave-drive
became known. Dr.. kellogg by that
time had details based on the re-
ports Of the delegates of the c. r. B..
who had Just come into Brussels for
their weekly meeting. Demands to
work for the German army were be-
ing made on unemployed and even
on employed men, not only in the
Belgian military districts, but in the
territory of the General Govern
ment itself, as in Luxembourg and m
the Hainault. In Luxembourg, the
Germans had actually issued orders
that certain public works, undertaken
by the Belgian civil authorities OF
the province Of the communeS n
order TO provide work for the unem-
Dloyed, should be discontinued, AMI
further orders were given to the ef-
feet that the men thus thrown out Ct
work were not to be employed By
been invited by the German military
authorities to work for them, and
when they refused they had been
seized by force. And already we al
the legation had been informed that
men had been taken to Liege, Dinant
and Nerviers. Thus, despite she
governor general and before Lanckcs
could go TO Berlin, the policy was al
ready in vogue in the occupation dis
trict.
In Journal demands TO work fol-
the military authorities had beer
made on large numbers OF men anC
when the men refused, they had beel
interned in camps as prisoners ano
put on bread ana waite. The ration
Of bread issued to them was fixed by
the military authorities as sever
hundred and fifty grams per person
been ordered 20 furnish this bread
but was not allowed to provide fol
any part of the regular rations. sucl
as bacon, lard, peas and beans. There
were, besides, numerous Instances
of demands made by the militaN
authorities on the. local commlttee,
Of the relief organization for lists q
the unemployed, the expressed inten
ton being TO use these lists as
means of determining what mei
should be impressed for labor in th'
service Of the German army; and tn
civil authorities VINO nad reIuSeu "
give these lists had already been or
rested and dcported to Germany.
These acts constituted an infrac
ton of the agreement with regard Il
the forcing of labor. not only the
agreement in The Hague conventions
no one ever thought of citing then
any morc-but the undertaking IL
regard 10 the relief work If the
Comite National and the Commission
for Relief i'm Belgium should accep
this situation without protest, the!
would be acquicscing in an indirect
infraction OF the agreement between
the Governor General and the pro
tecting ministers, and would ever
be n party to the punishment. by 4
limitation Of the food ration. of thes.
Belgian men.