Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-13


England.
Continuation of Chapter XXX-The Deportation
la the Unemployed
,u Trash letter to Baron Won Kissing, the Cardinal
a;n+ains that his arguments have been left unan.
rod. he protests once against the brutal way
& ubich the recruiting of the so-called unemployed
Everywhere takes place.
Archbishop's House, Malincs.
November 20, 1916.
II His Excellency Baron Kissing, Governor Cen
eral of Belgium
Tho letter which your Excelency does the
,oror TO write me- dated November %, is disappon
mo In several circles that had reason to believe
velinformed it was asserted that your EXcellency
had felt it your duty to lay protest before the high
at authorities of the empire against the regulations
vou we're forced to apply to Belgium / counted,
therefore, on at least delay in the application
of these measures, pending fresh examination and
in mitigation in the method of executing them.
But 10 and behold! without word of answer to
,ny one of the arguments by which proved in my
letters of October 10 and November 10 the illegal
and anti social nature Of the condemnation of the
Belgian workingmen to forced labor and deportation,
YOUR xceency confines yourself to repeating in your
letter of November % the very text of your letter of
October g. These two letters are in fact identical
both in matter and form. ..
On the other hand the recruiting of the so-called
unemployed is carried out most of the time without
any regard to the observations of the local author
ties Many reports hold in my hands bear witness
that the clergy are brutafly kept at distance the
mayors and local councillors silenced the recruiting
officers find themselves in the presence of individuals
unknown to them and arbitrarily make their choice
from among their number. Instances of this abound.
will give you two recent examples from crowd
Of others which hold at your Exceency's service.
On November 21 the recruiting of forced labor
xtootn IN, Tho of Rorch he
1926 Inhabitants of the commune, the recruiting Off
took away ninety -four in body without dstinc-
ton Of social status professOn farmers sons, men
who have to support aged and nirm parents, fathers
families who left wife and children in want; men
who needful to their families their daily
. bread. Two families, both of them, four sons
carried of at the time. Of the ninety -four thus
depOrted only two were really unemployed.
In the region of Aerschot the recruiting took
place on November 49, At Rillaer, Gelrode and Rot
selaer young who supported their widowed moth
ers, farmers, the heads of numerous famies-one of
them more than fifty years of age with ten children
eutiyatng the land and owning several head of cat
te who had never received penny from public
charity taken away by force in spite of all their
protests. In the little village of Rillaer, many as
~ehtyhVe young lads of seventeen were taken away.
Your Excellency would have wished that the COM
munal authorities be accomplices in these odious
ntlngs; neither their legal position their con-
|
nave enlightened the recruiters" and specially
quanhed for that Priests, who know the common
people better than any one ese could render these
.mcias valuable help. Why is their assistance
! fused?
Att end of your letter your Excellency reminds
~ se mat professional men are not moested. If only
M Me unemployed were taken away could understand
as @ exception. But if the abe-boded enrolled in
SIcmlnately that exception is unfair. 1t would be
Nqatous to throw the whole burden of deportation
', vi me working classes. The middle classes ought
s'O 70 share in the sacrifice imposed the nation
'! ue occupying power however cruel this sacrifice
10y De- and justly so, because it is cruel. Numbers
my clergy have entreated me to demand for them
M p'e IN the vanguard of the prosecuted. I record
"N request and submit it to you with pride.
a., sti wish to believe that the authorities of the
pae T nave not said their last word that they will
v wv ue unmindful of our undeserved sorrows, of the
lpt0Datlon of the civilized world of the verdict of
'''y and OF the chastisement of God.
esteem. Wv '"t- e'''o' - my e'''00ie
''ighed) D.. j. CARDINAL MERCER.
:. Archbishop of Malines.
bs r.. @ Governor General commissioned the chief o
Ca,iWc ica department to acknowledge receipt of thu
+ e srs letter OF November 20, reserving the right
4 p'Serlng it himself later on.
'p D.. department of the Government General of
ro ~, g'un', Brussels. December s, 1916.
4 Mqlines. y
II, co. inc honor TO inform your Eminence that
nu,l General has noted t0ith interest the re-
yop JN the question Of the unemployed, ohich
N your letter Of the eSth inst nevertheless
np to o. brief ABSENCE he ,oiu be unable TO
| some days. To my great regret the pardon
rsssst n,' n o. MGlines cannot be granted for the
tka Il n1' when he has served half his sentence,
k8 b gyar fntnence wishes to present request Il,
aSpaea I, have reason TO hope thar III toin be
SssA saeceee 4 present to your Eminenoe