Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-09
CHAPTER xxx
The Deportation of .he Unemployed


ar itI the crimes committedby Germany in the oc
I ar,ried part of Belgium there is perhaps none more
ssr sbe than the deportation Of the unemployed l,
IL NIX, Of the twentieth century the German Govern
It ~ earning all the laws Of civilization, introduces
m .msr ne slavery of days gone BY This crime agans
sman liberty long and callously psemedtated and per
styatsdwth untold cyncisni and brutality aroused th'
msrssiee of the whole worlS and drew down upon its
welJdeserved abhorrenee The Cardinal as
son sbe learned of the iniqlNk steps taken by the
s.~or General in regard to themplcyed, hastenec
address to Baron Won Bissing al energetic protest
Archbishops House, Maines
58 October 10, 1916.
TSpis Excelency Baron Won Bising, Governor Gen
cral, Brussels.
Slr-Thc day following the.capitulaton of Ant
vep the distracted population had serious msgivings
regarding the lot of Belgians O military age and of
hoe who would reach that age before the end of the
ocupation The fathers and pothers of families, by
their enreaties induced me to put the question to the
i,oyernor Of Antwerp, Baron yon Huene who had the
kindness to reassure me AND authorize me to re-
assure the anxious parents on this point. Neverthe-
less the report had spre ead though Antwerp that at
Iege at Namur and at Ch,rleroi young men had
bsn !e,zcd and forcbly CARED off into germany I
hereupon requested the Gcvrnor Won Huene to be
cod as to confirm in black and white the guarantee
he had given me by word osmouth, that no action of
The kind would be taken at Antwerp Without deay
he replied that the rlmors relative to deportatlons
were osout foundation, and he Immediately sent me
in writing among others, the following declaration:
"younr men need have n, fear of being carried off
iuto GERMANY either for cnroment in the army or TO
be there employed at compulsory work
This declaration, drawn up in writing and duly
signed was publicly communicated to the clergy ana
The faithful of the province Of Antwerp, as your EH-
eNency may convince yotrsefi, by the document mere
with nclosed dated October TO- l9l4, ana WHICH was
read in all the churches
Immediately on tie arrival at Brussels Of your
predecessor the late Earon der Goltz, had the
honor Of an interview with him. and | requested
him to be so good as to ratify in writing for the
country at large, and without any time limit, the
guarantee which General Won Huene had gwen me
for the province of Antwerp.
The Governor General retained my petition in his
own hands in order to examine it at his leisure The
following day he WAS kind enough to come in person
TO Nialines and to bring me his approval, and he
confirmed in the presence of two aidesdecamp and my
private secretary the promise that the Belgian cit-
lens' liberties would be respected.
To doubt s,ch ,ledge would be to wrong the
persons who iai signad it, and proceeded to dss-
pate by ever leans Of persuasion in my power the
alarm still pr i6ling among the families concerned.
| Now, h. IN save the mark, your government
natches T their homes workmen, who, without
fault of tn Osn out of emplOyment it forcibly
separates "r0 their wives and children and
depOrs 81 the enemy's country. host of
vorEmen .ldy suffered this unhappy fate;
more s. T. tened with the same violent treat
ment FIJI
O. the liberty of the home and the
liberty 5ment of Belgian citizens, in the
name liability of families, on behalf of the
moral :, sIrous interests gravely compromised
W tn l5sF of deportation in virtue of the
pledge NJ he Governor of the province of Ant
8efp N Governor General, the immediate
Eepfe' 1 q" the highest authority of the German
E"pn. re- fully beg your Excellency to consent
caNfi ygulations for compulsory labor and
deportation Hady communicated to the Belgian
sorA Auea z be good enough to restore to their
"o"e' uOs aIready deported.
op Ecellency will understand how heavy a
wig = possibility I shall be compelled to bear
y" ot families If the confidence established
,Uvg NY ceTention and my request were to be
~ q 10 he belief that such will not be the
Fs s SIR the assurance of my sincere esteem
N''HAeqi D. J. CARDINAL MERCER,
Archbishop of Malincs.