Till? MOltXIXG OltEGONTAX, TnURSDAT, JANUARY 1, 1020.
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MERCIER TELLS VON BISSING
'AN ACCOUNT WILL BE EXACTED'
Misuse of Weapons of Power by Occupying Forces Charged in Letter
to Belgian Governor-GeneraL
CARDINAL MERCIER'S STORY
Including his correspondence
with the German authorities in
Belgium during the war, 191 to
1918, edited by Professor Fer
nand Mayence of Louvain uni
versity and translated by tlte
Benedictine monks of St. Au
gustine's, Ramsgate, England.
(Copyright ' by Public Ledicer Co. Pub
lished by Arrangement.)
Introductory Comment by Professor
Fernand Mayence.
THE following additional excerpts
from M. Theodor's protest on be
half of the lawyers to Von Biss
ing exemplify the soundness of the
Cardinal's position regarding the
status of Belgium, expressed in the
accompanying - correspondence, with
the governor-general:
"The secret police, without external
marks or badges, mingle with the
population In the streets," asserted
the distinguished Belgian advocate;
"in the cafes, on the platforms of the
tramway stations, listening to con
versations, ready to pounce upon
their secrets; on the watch not only
for actions but for intentions.
"The race of informers, it Is said,
has increased. What value can their
declarations possess, inspired as they
are by hatred or rancor or base cu
pidity? Such auxiliaries could offer
no useful aid to the task of justice.
"If we add to this total absence of
control and defense the preventive
arrests and the long periods of deten
tion, and if to these we add the dom
iciliary searches, we shall have al
most a complete vision of the mental
. torture to which our aspirations, our
thoughts and our liberties are at
present subjected.
"Among the moral forces is there
one which is superior to justice? . . .
It is the basis of all civilization; art
and science are its tributaries; re
ligions live and prosper in its shadow.
Is it not in Itself a religion?
"Belgium has raised a temple to
this religion in her capital.
"This temple, which is our pride,
has been turned into a barracks. A
email portion, still further reduced,
is reserved for the courts and tribu
nals. Magistrates and advocates have
access to it by a servants' staircase.
"Force installed in the temple of
the law is this not the perfect sym
bol of the German occupation of Bel
gium?" In a lengthy letter to Cardinal Mer
cier the governor-general on June 28,
1916, reaffirmed his determination
strictly to enforce the military laws
imposed by the Germans, and ex
pressed regret that so many priests
had been found guilty of infringe
ments of the regulations.
"During the occupation the only
legal political power in the occupied
territory is what I exercise," he
wrote. "To this power alone is
Obedience due, and not to the king of
the Belgians and his government."
The reply sent by Cardinal Mercler
to this letter was as follows:
"Archbishop's House, Mallnes, July
12. 1916.
"To his excellency Baron von Hiss
ing, governor-general of Belgium,
Brussels.
"Baron I have the honor to ac
knowledge the receipt, of your excel
lency's letter of June 28., In the mind
of the writer perhaps that letter re
quired no reply; but considered from
my point of view it demands some ex
planations. "First Tour excellency reverts
once more to the sermons of the
clergy and censures them in terms
which I prefer not to repeat. But
why has your excellency so brusquely
cut short a correspondence which we.
were carrying on in regard to that
very subject ana which you yourself
had invited?
"You have, indeed, at various times
brought ill-defined charges against
the sermons of our priests; I ven
tured to ask of you more precise ac
cusations and In several cases you
did not refuse. In each of these I
forthwith held an inquiry and laid
the results before you. In every case
the charges were proved unfounded.
This rebutting method of inquiry
the only means of shedding light on
the cases under consideration hap
pily stopped several hasty condemna
tions. Would it then be equitable or
wise to abandon now - this mode of
procedure and fall back upon accusa
tion which cannot be investigated?
"Second Another complaint. Cer
tain members of the clergy assist
lads to join the Belgian army. But
your excellency surely is not unaware
that Belgium and Germany, through
no fault of ours, are two enemy bel
ligerent nations? These noble souls
that run the risk of the most severe
punishments, even electrocution, to
go and defend their country, can you
impute it as a crime to a priest that
he should, share this admiration?
Some of these brave youths fall by
the way, victims of their patriotic
bravery. Are they not more than a
sufficient ransom for your military
regulations?
"Others reach their goal and add
a few units to the handful of soldiers
of the Yser, but can they cause dis
quietude to an army of eight and a
half million? This last remark is not
mine, but it was flung at us months
ago by one of your most prominent
chiefs. It was not the time then to
take it up.
"Third Your . excellency has, you
say, to guard German security, die
'deutsche Sicherheit.' and must there
fore take account of every act likely
to bring about unendurable situa
tions, 'unhaltbaren ustanden.'
"Such Indefinite expressions are
not of a kind to promote the under
standing for which your excellency
had craved my co-operation. Cer
tainly the governor-general's vigil
ance should include the whole army
of occupation: but should it sacrifice
thereto the Belgian people? Your ex
cellency is kind enough to repeat that
you have at heart the welfare of the
country intrusted to your administra
tion. A country's chief blessing is its
liberty. Treat, I pray you. the Bel
gians as a nation not yet conauered.
Xo not exasperate them by claiming
to stifle in their breasts their hopes
i a oener time to come. Your vigil
ance will be thereby less frequently
demanded.
- "We are too concerned to reconcile
the welfare of the Belgians with the
security of the Germans, tor we aim at
respecting the rights of nations. Thus
whatever turn military operations
may one day take, we shall preach to
our people what we have preached to
them long before your regiments ever
trod the Belgian soil, namely, that we
must commit to our army and to our
loyal allies the defense of our liberty.
"Your excellency sees but one dan
ger to the public order, the extolling
of the virtue of patriotism. I see an
other, the exasperation .of a people
unjustly oppressed.
"Your excellency sees but one rem
edy for the evil that you fear, might
I' see another and a better one, re
spect for civic dignity.
"I believe I understand better than
any- foreigner the Belgian people's
soul. . .... .
"Fourtli Anxious to obviate misun
derstandings, your excellency devotes
the second part of your letter to a
statement of principles on the situa
tion of the occupying power, on the
responsibilities which weigh upon you,
on the method by which you intend to
govern us.
"On thiB point, baron, there is be
tween us a fundamental and irreducl.
ble divergence.
"A nation has only one legitimate
j supreme authority; two are quite in
conceivable.
"As long as Belgium is not recog
nized by international law as a con
stituent part of the German empire,
the occupied provinces legally and
morally depend on their legitimate
government, and on it alone.
"The occupying power possesses an
authority 'de facto,' but can claim no
'right' to suqh possession. .
"The occupied country has to sub
mit to the 'de facto' authority.' . . .
"But when the occupying power vio.
lates The Hague convention or does
violence to our disnity as men or as
citizens of the Belgian nation, we
must raise our voice in protest. Your
excellency attempts to stifle this pro
test and reserves to yourself the right
to speak, saying that 'you alone are
qualified to Judge of what the public
order and the welfare of our popula
tion demand.'
" "Excuse me, your excellency. The
Hague convention is not a decree of
an occupying power, but an inter
national contract. This contract Ger
many has signed in the same way as
Belgium. We are powerless to restrain
the power of your military arm, but
we hav the right, and at the same
time the duty, of satisfying our con
science in reminding you that an ac
count will be exacted from you one
day before the international tribunal
of The Hague and also before history
of the use or misuse you have made of
the weapons of power.
"The empire that you represent has
pledged itself at The Hague never to
misuse this power, if ever it came into
possession of it. You are bound in
conscience by this pledge. Kant, to
whom must be attributed the perver
sion of all German philosophical spec
ulation and against whose influence I
am proud to have struggled through
out my career, divorces right from
morality. Hence the notion which
identifies right with an authority de
void .of aught save the simple power
of coercion. Against this arbitrary
mental identification, justifying as it
does despotism, the conscience of hu
manity protests.
"I fear your excellency, in spite of
your natural uprightness and relig
ious sentiments and the promise made
to us in writing or in conversation to
alleviate our misfortunes and to heal
our wounds, is dominated uncon
sciously by this false notion of gov
ernment. Thus it is that today you
declare to expect from stern severity
alone the consolidation of your power
of occupation.
"Receive, dear governor-general, the
expression of my sincere esteem.
"(Signed)
"D. J. CARDINAL MERCIER.
"Archbishop of Malines."
(To be continued'.)
The use of rushes for reinforcing
concrete is said to be particularly val-
ICE CREAM
AS A FOOD
in
uable in the construction of thin
walled structures such as ships.
CLACKAMAS FIXING LEVY
Amount Sot Vet Settled But Is Kx
pected to Be 23 . Mills.
OREGON CITY. Or., Dec. 31. (Spe
cial.) The county judge and commis
sioners are busy making up the coun
ty tax levy for th ensuing year.
When they adjourned last night they
had not finally settled upon the
amount of the levy. They resumed
their sitting this morning. By
those who are well Informed upon
the matter it is, stated that the levy
will approximate 23. G mills. The state
tax is 6 mills, and the above figures
will Include the state tax.
The state and county tax last year
was 19 mills, and it is positive that
the tax this year will be Increased
over last year's. The principal rea
son is the extensive road-building
programme adopted here.
Dallas, Texas, Kditor Dead.
LONG BEACH, Cal.; Dec. 31. Luther
H. Clark, 65. for the last 20 years
editor-in-chief of the Dallas (Texas)
News, died of heart trouble at his
temporary home here Tuesday. He is
survived by a widow. His body wlU
be sent to Dallas for burial.
ICE CREAM is beautiful in its rich, attractive
colors,-and tastes even better than it looks.
Made of pure, wholesome, delicious cream
and, milk, and a little sugar, it is flavored to
suit the taste. As a dessert it is unexcelled. (
As a food it ranks, among the very best. We
like it with cakjs or without cake. Everybody
likes it. Everybody eats it. Like the manna
that came from heaven, it is; sweet, nourishing
and palatable. Yes, it is good and tastes good.
A healthy boy or girl, a spoon, and a large dish
of delicious ice cream make a splendid combina
tion. The frozen cream disappears rapidly, but
as it goes it nourishes, and gives rosy cheeks,
bright eyes, health, strength and happiness. It
is a real food for all classes and conditions of ,
people. Sick or well, rich or poor, old or young,
we all 'enjoy ice cream. (From bulletin issued
by U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.)
Specify WHITE CLOVER and you will not be
disappointed.
White Clover Ice Cream Co.
Phone E. 1424
505 E. Burnside St.
ANOTHER YEAR
with
. Cork Tilings and Cork Linoleums
growing in favor.
They are economical, sanitary, durable and attractive.
CORK FLOOR PRODUCTS CO.
202 Broadway at Taylor.
Malm SO.
Exceptionally Well Located .
New Perkins Hotel
Washington Street at Fifth
PORTLAND,' OREGON
Commercial and Tourist
Rates $1.00 Upward
Special Weekly and Monthly Rates
Autobus Service to and From Trains
Depot Cars Pass Our Doors
L. Q. Swetland, Manager
A. Everett Myers, Assistant
Excellent Restaurant Prices Moderate
J CEMENT j
GOVERNOR OLCOTT
calls upon Oregonians to
Buy Home Products
Do It!
Oregon Portland Cement Co.
Wilcox Bldg., Portland, Oregon
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COMMERCIAL
IRON WORKS
ENGINEERS FOUNDERS MACHINISTS
QUOTATIONS GIVEN ON SPECIAL MACHINERY AND
CASTINGS, REPAIR WORK, GENERAL JOBBING.
Phones: E 7212; E 7273.
Works East Seventh and Madison.
11