The contracting nations, including Germany, who signed the Conventions
of the Second Peace Conference at The Hague, 1907, pledged themselves
to the following:
[Sidenote: Germany's promises in Hague conventions.]
"Article L. No general penalty, pecuniary or otherwise, shall be
inflicted upon the population on account of the acts of individuals
for which they can not be regarded as jointly and severally
responsible."
"Article LII. Requisitions in kind and services shall not be demanded
from municipalities or inhabitants except for the deeds of the army
of occupation. They shall be in proportion to the resources of the
country, and of such a nature as not to involve the inhabitants in the
obligation of taking part in military operations against their own
country."
[Sidenote: German violations of Hague conventions.]
The German authorities have violated these articles from the very
beginning. As soon as they invaded Belgium, heavy fines were laid upon
individual communities as reprisals for some act against the German
Army or its regulations which was committed within their boundaries. In
_An Appeal to Truth_ Cardinal Mercier cites the following cases:
"Malines, a working-class town, without resources, has had a fine of
20,000 marks inflicted on it because the burgomaster did not inform
the military authority of a journey which the Cardinal, deprived of
the use of his motor car, had been obliged to make on foot. In fact,
upon the flimsiest pretexts heavy fines are inflicted on communes.
The commune of Puers was subjected to a fine of 3,000 marks because
a telegraph wire was broken, although the inquiry showed that it had
given way through wear."
In addition to such arbitrary, sporadic exactions, in December, 1914,
the Germans demanded 40,000,000 francs ($8,000,000) a month to be paid
by the Belgian Provinces jointly.
Concerning this enormous imposition Cardinal Mercier says, in the
_Appeal to Truth_:
"The essential condition of the legality of a contribution of this
kind, according to the Hague Convention, is that it should bear
_relation to the resources of the country_, article 52.
[Sidenote: Cardinal Mercier's comments.]
"Now, in December, 1914, Belgium was devastated. Contributions of
war imposed on the towns and innumerable requisitions in kind had
exhausted her. The greater part of the factories were idle, and in
those, which were still at work, raw materials were, contrary to all
law, being freely commandeered.
"It was on this impoverished Belgium, living on foreign charity, that
a contribution of nearly 500,000,000 francs was imposed."
[Sidenote: The crushing fine is increased.]
The German authorities were not satisfied with this impoverishing levy.
In November, 1915, one month before the expiration of the twelve-month
period fixed for the levy, they decreed that this contribution of
40,000,000 francs a month should be paid for an indefinite period. In
November, 1916, they increased the levy to 50,000,000 francs a month,
in May, 1917, to 60,000,000 francs a month. In addition, the German
authorities have continued to levy fines upon towns and villages for
acts committed in their neighborhood, although they had no proof that
these acts had been committed by any inhabitant of the city or village
thus fined. (Compare taking of hostages, noted above.)
The German military rulers have also made the families responsible
for acts committed by or charged against members as is shown in the
following examples, which are quoted from the _Appeal to Truth_, cited
above.
[Sidenote: Family made responsible.]
"The Belgian Government has sent orders to rejoin the army to the
militiamen of several classes. * * * All those who receive these
orders are strictly forbidden to act upon them. * * * _In case of
disobedience the family of the militiaman will be held equally
responsible._"
"A warning of the Governor General, dated January 26th, 1915, renders
the _members of the family_ responsible if a Belgian fit for military
service, between the ages of 16 and 40, goes to Holland."
The Commander in Chief of the German army in Belgium posted a
proclamation declaring:
[Sidenote: Villages made responsible.]
"The villages where acts of hostility shall be committed by the
inhabitants against our troops _will be burned_.
"For all destruction of roads, railways, bridges, etc., _the villages
in the neighborhood_ of the destruction _will be held responsible_.
"The punishments announced above will be carried out severely and
without mercy. _The whole community will be held responsible._
Hostages will be taken in large numbers. The heaviest war taxes will
be levied."
At the end of the _Appeal to Truth_ Cardinal Mercier says:
"But we can not say all here, nor quote all.
[Sidenote: Cardinal Mercier has proofs.]
"If, however, our readers wish for the proof of the accusations * * *
we shall be glad to furnish them. There is not in our letter, nor in
the four annexes [to the _Appeal to Truth_], one allegation of which
we have not the proofs in our records."
A striking illustration of the German methods is contained in the
archives of the State Department, because the Prince of Monaco appealed
to President Wilson against the injustice of a fine imposed upon a
small and impoverished village. The following documents from the State
Department archives tell the story. They need no comments.
"PARIS, _Oct. 27, 1914_.
"SECRETARY OF STATE,
"_Washington_.
"Prince of Monaco called this morning and asked that the following
case be submitted to the President:
[Sidenote: The case of Sissonne.]
"Prince states that General von Bülow for weeks has been inhabiting
Prince's ancestral château near Rheims, historical monument,
containing works of art and family heirlooms; that von Bülow has
imposed fine of five hundred thousand francs on village of Sissonne
some miles distant from château, because broken glass found on road
near village. Sissonne being unable alone to pay has raised with a
number of other neighboring villages one hundred twenty-five thousand
francs but von Bülow has sent two messengers from Sissonne to Prince
that unless latter pays fine for Sissonne the château and adjoining
village, as well as Sissonne, will be destroyed on November first.
Prince has answered refusing to pay sum now but willing to give his
word to German Emperor that amount would be paid after removal of
danger of fresh war incidents. Prince now fearful lest returning
messengers, as well as male employees on his estate, be shot because
of refusal to pay.
"I have arranged meeting this afternoon between Spanish Ambassador and
Prince, to whom I have suggested that matter be presented to German
Government through Spanish Ambassador at Berlin inasmuch as Prince's
threatened property is in France.
"HERRICK."
"ARMY HEADQUARTERS,
"_Warmériville, Sept. 19th, 1914_.
"TO the MAYOR OF THE COMMUNE OF SISSONNE,
"_Sissonne_.
[Sidenote: Von Bülow's levy on Sissonne.]
"It has been conclusively proven that the road between Sissonne and
the railway station of Montaigu was, on September 18th, strewn with
broken glass along a distance of one kilometre and at intervals of 50
metres, for the purpose, no doubt, of impeding automobile traffic.
"I hold the commune of Sissonne responsible for this act of hostility
on the part of its inhabitants and I punish the said commune by
levying upon it a contribution of 500,000 francs (five hundred
thousand francs).
"This sum must be entirely paid into the Treasury of the Etape by
October 15th.
"The Inspection of the Etape now at Montcornet has been directed to
enforce execution of this order.
"The General Commander in Chief of the Army.
"VON BÜLOW."