SLAVE TRAINS IN BELGIUM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14196, 13 January 1917, Page 6

SLAVE TRAINS IN BELGIUM.

WOMEN FLING THEMSELVES ON THE TRACK. PLIGHT OF BELGIAN AND FRKN r €li PATRIOTS. The following cable of November 19 to the Chicago Daily News from its Lon-, don representative gives a vivid account of the slave-raiding methods employed by .the Germans m the occupied territories of Belgium and France. "Germany intends to deport and impress into her labor ranks the whole ot Belgium's available manhood," said an American business man. ' This man, whose integrity and judgment are esteemed both m Europe and America, reached London after Avitnessing the deportation scenes m Belgium that he describes as "incredible and heartrending." ' ' "Already," he continued, " "between 30,000 -and 40,000 men have been torn from their homes, forced into cattle*trucks, and conveyed to Germany. In Germany they will be compelled, to choose between aiding the Central Powers m the war and suffering penalties I of the severest nature. Many of them beyond doubt will refuse to work, regarding such labor aa treason to their own ; country, and thus will land them r selves m straits too harrowing to think about. > : "Unless Germany can be induced to abandon her present policy, between -two and three hundred thousand Belgians will be deported. The American Relief Committee has thrown around a hundred thousand Belgians the protection of certificates of employment on relief work, hut this, hundred thousand 1 is a small part of the total population subject to* impressment. HARROWING SCENES. "Naturally, the scenes attending the forcible removal of fathers and sons wring the hardest of hearts. I saw one long train of cattle trucks loaded with prospective deportees. Many had resisted,, only to feel th« German bayonet. Women and children had fought for their, metifolk with- desperate fierceness — clothes tattered, eyes streaming, voices screaming and shouting until hoarse. "Generally with as Ettle brutality as possible, but always effectually, the Kaiser's soldiers crushed all opposition. Houses were searched by' armed men from cellars to roofs. No discrimination was made betweem employed and unemployed. Only one object plainly was m view, to obtain the largest possible number of strong hands. ' "When the train had been loaded the women and children standing about m the huge crowd suddenly ran on the line m front of the locomotive, threw themselves on the rails^ and clung there, shutting , their eyes and uttering loud lamentations. Detachments of soldiers prised ' them loose with bayonets, and forced them clear of the -track,, when the train moved off towards the German frontier. . , HUNGER THE HUNS' ALLY' "Another distressing feature of the situation m Belgium arises • from the forcible importation, of Frenchmen from the provinces of France occupied by German ft. It appears that, the policy of the Germlui Government is to work the Belgians m- Germany and work the Frenchmen m Belgium. ■> "Incidents of the most painful nature are resulting from the- impressment of these Frenchmen. Many of them decline, to work, declaring, like the Belgians it is intolerable they should be forced, to support a Teutonic war against their own country. » "In one case som© 35 Frenchmen, -for refusing to work, were tied to trees for 24 hours and more. This punishment failed to break their will, and at las* they were released. ' But how can they live? The Germans won t give them a mouthful of food unless they work. The American Relief Commission cannot undertake the feeding of these people, because of its rule denying food to all engaged m warlike action. How this .will end God only knows. J "Tli« German authorities have their argument. They assert the Belgians and French m the occupied territories are degenerating from idleness, and claim the best tning for them is to be deported and forced to labor at good wages and so enabled to preserve their own moral character and send money to their families* "Btit this utilitarian argument not only ignores the fact that men steadily employed are deported, but fails to meet the stubborn difficulty arising from the strong Belgian and French sense of nationality. These spirited people clahn that what they are asked to bear is far worse than... pure 1 slavery. They call it slavery plus compulsory active treason."