The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1918-07-17

the Dnyonet according to orders.
AND Russians who have surrender
ed are often shot down in masses ac-
cording to orders, in spite of their
heart-rending prayers.
I'm the hope that you, as the repre.
sentative Of Christian state, will
protest against this. ! sign myself,
"A GERMAN SOLDIER AND CHRIS
TIAN."
The third letter, from the western
front, shows the same horror Of the
system Of which the writer was q wit
ness.
"To the American Government,
Washington, u. 8. A.
'Englishmen who have surrendered
are shot down in small groups. With
the French one is more considerate. I
ask whether men let themselves be
taken prisoner In order to be dig
armed and shot down afterward? Ia
that chivalry in battle? 1t is no longer
secret among the people; one hears
everywhere that few prisoners are
taken; they are shot down In small
groups They say naively: we don't
want any unnecessary mouths to feed,
Where there is no one to enter com.
plant. there is no judge Ia there
then no power in the world which can
put an end to these murders and res
cue the victims? Where is Chris-
tianity? Where is right? Might 10
right.
"A SOLDIER AND A MAN WHO Is
NO BARBARIAN"
Socialists Oppose System
Many of the Germans, as has been
already indicated, do not believe the
reports of the atrocities committed by
the Belgian civilians and refuse to ac.
cept the system of frightfulness. The
Vorwaerts, the kanding socialist paper,
which has very wide circle of read
ers has opposed the policy of fright
fulness. All honor to its editors who
nave 50 courageousiy opposed the pow
erful military authority! It's editorial,
entitled "Our Foes" published August
23, 1914, reads as follows:
"Whnt should one say when even
such an organ as the Deutsches Off
"icr- -Blatt expresses its sympathy with
demand that the beasts who are
taken rs francs-tireurs should not be
killed. hut only wounded 80 that they
may then be left to fate which makes
any help impossibleT Or what should
we say when the Dcutsches Ofizier-
Biatt states that a punitive destruc-
tion even of whole regions cannot 'af-
ford full recompense for the bones Of a
single murdered Pomeranian grena-
dierT Those are the desires Of blood.
thirsty fanatics and we are thoroughly
ashamed OF ourselves because it ia
possible that there are people among
us who urge such things"
"5arbarIsTh," Declares vorwaerts.
On the following day, August "a,
1914, the Vorwaerts returned to the
attack in an editorial Against Bar.
barism."
"One might, in the first
place, possibly believe that such de-
mnnd for bloody vengeance [against
alleged Belgian outrages] emanatea
from single disease-racked brain;
but 1t appears that whole groups
among certain classes who represent
German kultur want to indulge in or.
gies of barbarism and 70 devise a
"
ganiZing a war Of revenge
'What Of law and custom! Such
thoughts do not stir great nation
Thus In leading article Of the Ber.
liner Neueste Nachrichten, the de-
mand is made that all the authorities
In Brussels-One, the second ,burgomas-
ter. is generously excepted-should be
Immediately seized and subjected to
trial In order to expiate She wrongs
which, according to fragn1ontary and
highly uncertain reports, were said to
have been committed by the people.
They demand that the captured city
should Immediately pay fine of 500.
100000 marks; that all stores of the
conquered territory be requisitloned
without paying the inhabitants single
penny for them"
VorWaerte In Protest.
Three years later, August 26, 1917,
the Vorwaerts quoted the following
passage from the Deutsche Tageszei-
tung:
1--WE have n ring Of politicians who
hold that might makes right (Macht-
politiker) who despise the forces of
the inner life and believe that they
must eliminate all ethical points OF
view from foreign and social
politics. For them, Germany Of the
present and OF the future is the coun-
try of the Krnpps and Borsigs, of the
Zeppelins and the U-boats. Any idea
OF connection between politics and
morals Is rejected and any reference
to the right Of q moral method Of con-