STARVING BELGIAN PEOPLE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2333, 15 December 1914, Page 6

STARVING BELGIAN PEOPLE

$£, : ';/-; v.,:Tm. GERMANS: -,'■ ,:v/:"v/ /Wlije.the,American newspapers fully , generosity of . ; ,:'r.:.: : -j f jne Rockefeller-Foundation in .sending :£;;-V/'/ food/tbi'stricljen Belgium,.they are ask- ?;';■■■■■■ ving-why Germany,' which /claims , not ://;: : :;/ only/to /have annexed Belgium" but is /v>:,-... Responsible /for the .helpless- 'condition :;:.:'.'.*..•• of its people,' does not obey the common ';;.'::..;:^dictatesor' humanity and.recpgniseiLre;:i::,V,: -' quirenientsof international law. by' sup-' -'.'•''; : plying the Belgians ; with food.'.' ;.-; ■-•■■• .The, ''New ' I'ork:-.World'' -calls atten-' ;■'-,• ' tion to/the//fact .that on the day :bh .;.-"_ which ;Mr: Rockefeller's princely charity b[/r ;was announced- Germany laid a;war in- /-•/•., "-'..dem'nity., of - £1,800,000 on Brussels, a :,'; . sum larger, thanthe Rockefeller Founda- '>:-'. iioh/estimates/as needed to relieve the '.' v'.:' isuffering of ridn-combatants.in Belgium '■&'. .:;: during the'cpmhig'wintef, and it/odds: ; V.i : : ■-..-''ln this,oppression-of a. starving na- .-,:.':,.. . tion there is;neitlier,disguise nor denial. ; : i':'':'. ;• The robbery :pf /Brussels is frank and -.%•<... .-/open as'was the sack of Louvain. It be' noted,':furtherimire,-/that it-has /;/ ■""■'-'■ do' excuse, in .the-fiery ardour of battle. y //.; : : -It results'/from deliberate policy. Brus-;;'i'j/:y.-eelsvhasTbeenjin-thehands'of the -Ger-

mans since ■ August 20. ! They accepted 9,'000,000 dollars to be paid in= weekly . instalments/ of 600,000 dollars, because, ihayiHg. .demanded: much; more, they are ait length convinced this is all they can :' -v-.-, ■■■■■.

It is the duty of humanity to go to the relief of Belgium, the "World" urges, but steps must be taken to en-

.;'sure .that the: supplies/will not be con//.nscated,'-: as /everything- else; has / been. r/Those/ who -would feed ,the hungry- and /clothe..the naked must first make sure rthat /they "are not- ' interfering with "the /settled- /plans of German militarism. ■Morally the Belgian people are as much I a/charge upon the Imperial Government /at Berlin-as. any prisoners' of /war..- Will ■'-.'the_ heartlesshess'that"despoils them in 'their misery also despoil, them in their •:TeliefP' A ' ; ';//-/-.-;.//-';•;'/- : ■',;..-.'

A correspondent writes to tho "New ' -York Sun" calling attention to the German boasts of having food enough to carry.on the war,.for three years, and says "if Germany is in this prosperous condition and yet .allows her dependent people to .starve she proves herself ■utterly selfish, cruel, and regardless of human life and suffering, three charnc- * teristics that will appeal in vain for the tolerance and sympathy of the American people."