Nov. Senator Magnette, Grand Master of Belgian Freemasonry,
addressed a letter to German Freemasonry, in which he wrote:
" The brutal and total suppression of personal liberty, a repeti-
tion of the most painful wanderings of Jewish history, the cap-
tivity of an entire innocent nation, which for over two years has
given an example of marvellous calm, dignity, and patriotism
does not all this cry for vengeance, are you going to disregard it ? "
German Freemasonry made no reply, but M. Magnette was
arrested and imprisoned.
The censorship prevented publication of these numerous pro- tests, which would have encouraged national resistance. Car- dinal Mercier determined to address the nation from the pulpit of Ste. Gudule, the cathedral of Brussels. There, on Nov. 26, he addressed the faithful, lashing with burning words the in- humanity of Germany, and exhorting Belgians to stand fast in resistance, in patriotism and in faith in their ultimate victory. The vast throng of his hearers received these words with in- describable enthusiasm.
Finally, on Feb. 14 1917, the most important members of the clergy, the Comite National, Parliament, the magistracy, the bar, the nobility, financial circles, etc., addressed the German Em- peror in a letter at once dignified and firm, demanding the re- patriation of the deported Belgians. The foreign legations still at Brussels those of the United States, Spain, and Holland also showed sympathy. Cardinal Mercier had appealed to the Pope, and on Nov. 29 1916 the Pope had approached the German Government on behalf of the victims of deportation, but without effect. The United States now protested to Berlin against such violations of the principles of the Hague Convention, and the Dutch legation did the same. At the time of the fall of Antwerp in 1914 the inhabitants of that town, terrified by the massacres of Vise, Dinant, Andenne, Termonde, Tamenes, Aerschot and Louvain, had fled en masse into Holland. The German Govern- ment had requested the Dutch Government to assure the Belgian refugees that if they returned to their country they would not be subjected by Germany to requisitions or any other molestation. On the representations of Holland the people of Antwerp re- turned to Belgium. Germany had now taken thousands of men from among them for deportation, and Holland could not but protest against such disloyalty to promises made to her. These interventions also remained without result, but at last the insistence of Spain, the country which was protecting Belgian interests in Germany, succeeded after a preliminary repulse in obtaining a compromise from the German Government. The Marquis of Villalobar, Spanish Minister at Brussels, proposed an arrangement by which Germany should engage not to deport more than 250,000 men, who should be chosen from the unem- ployed; to allow those of the already deported who possessed means of existence to return to their homes; to permit deported Belgians to correspond with their families and send them money; and finally, to place Belgian workers in Germany under neutral surveillance. Germany agreed to all these conditions except the last.
The neutral legations next intervened to effect the trans- mission to the governor-general of claims from families whose deported members should, by the terms of the above conven- tion, be authorized to return to Belgium. These claims were nu- merous; in one month the Dutch legation received 33,000 for transmission.
The deportation policy had proved a disappointment to Ger- many. The exiles refused to work, and, when forced into a sem- blance of submission, met coercion with an inertia which rendered their labour valueless. The whole world's indignation at this return to slavery seemed to decide Germany on a movement of clemency. In reply to the letter of Feb. 14 from distinguished Belgians the Emperor announced that he would examine the matter with benevolence. It was speedily decided that the victims of deportation should be repatriated on June i 1917, and Germany published this decision far and wide. It proved but a piece of abominable treachery. Numerous convoys of the deported did indeed return to Belgium, but soon after they were again summoned to the K ommandantur, and,- under pain of being deported anew, were forced to accept work in the requisitioned Belgian factories. Moreover, the authorities declared that the Emperor had not promised that Belgian workmen should not be deported into France, and many of the convoys which arrived from Germany were immediately sent off to the invaded French departments. A yet more hypocritical construction was put on William II. 's words. He had promised the repatriation of the deported Belgians, but once repatriated there was nothing against their being deported a second time as unemployed. So the deportation began again, only to be ended by the Armistice. Statistics of the Deportations. Deported into Germany.
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Total number.
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
57,718
18. 3,412
18-50. 5.S.485
50-60.
807
60-70. 9
over 70. 5
Died during deportation in Germany: 1,304.
Deported to the Zivil Arbeiterbataillonen at the front.
Total number.
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
57,541
18. 5,118
18-50. 51,281
50-60. 1, 080
60-70. 59
over 70. 3
Died during deportation at the front: 1,227.
Total number deported: 115,259.
Total of deaths resulting from bad treatment: 2,531.
Deported from each arrondisse- ment. '
To Germany.
To the zone of the front.
Brussels
1,539
378
Louvain
1,923
Nivelles
5,609
Antwerp
4,661
Mechlin
1,992
3
Turnhout
314
Mons
11,254
5,53
Charleroi
6,3f>4
10
Tournai
2,572
8,609
Ghent .
10
1 1 ,074
Audenarde
ii
8,509
Termonde
736
8,936
Bruges .
4
1,323
Courtral
19
9,715
Turnes .
2
Ypres .
-
961
Liege .
5
Huy .
32
Verviers
734
Tongres
467
27
Hasselt
2,246
49
Arlon .
2,423
2,815
Larche .
1,169
12
Neufchateau
1,204
Namur .
8,607
36
Dinant .
2,883
2
Feeding the Belgian Population. Belgium could not feed her population unaided. She did not produce above a quarter of her wheat consumption. Thus as early as Aug. 14 1914 the Belgian Government had rationed bread. By Nov. scarcity was being felt in Hainault; and in the following month the provinces of Limburg and Luxemburg and all the towns were short of flour, while the rural districts lacked coffee, salt, yeast, coal, petrol and soap. Prices began to rise sharply. The situation was the more critical because, the country once occupied, the German governor had abrogated all measures already taken by the Belgian Govern- ment to ensure its food supplies. The public administrative bodies could no longer act; private initiative had to take their place. Everywhere committees were formed. At Antwerp a Comite de secours collected 2,000,000 francs for organizing relief to the necessitous; while a Comite de ravitaillement, formed by the communal authorities and including ip its sphere of action the 82 communes of the fortified area, secured 10,000 tons of wheat, bacon and lard, 2,000 head of cattle, and 2,000 pigs. At Liege a Comite d' alimentation was formed to manage the provisioning of 23 communes. At Brussels the Comite de secours du Luxem- bourg endeavoured to succour those left homeless by the burnings and devastations of the German army. At Bruges and Ostend committees were formed to purchase wheat. Everywhere such organizations appeared, but they were impotent to save the country from the famine which menaced it, for the German Government, in order to exercise pressure on the Allies, declared
