WHO ARE THE HUNS?

52 Violation of Congo

52 Violation of Congo Acts. Colonial War. this communication from London,—in accordance with the agreement with Japan, would prove that it was capable of and determined upon striking a mortal blow at Germany through its colonies. These explanations openly reveal the chief motive of English politics, the defeat of the competitor in commerce and the rival upon the seas—no matter at what price—even though it be the betrayal of all racial instincts and all the sentiments of civilization. 1 This act on the part of the English Government, so contrary to all sound statesmanship and common sense,—an act that could only call forth the contempt of thinking men,—perpetrated against the German protectorates, is likewise, so far as German East Africa and parts of the Cameroons are concerned, a gross violation of the international agreement in regard to the Congo. Relying upon Article II of the Congo Acts, and in order to avoid all appearance of threatening any neighboring and alien territory, Germany had constantly striven to keep its military forces in German East Africa merely as large as appeared necessary in order to maintain its authority in the territory of the protectorate. This faith in the common agreement has been shamefully abused, since England used its enormous ascendancy in the neighboring British protectorates in order 1 Professor Adolf Harnack recently published an article in the "Tâgliche Rundschau" which was a translation made of an article which had appeared on August 3rd, 1912, in an English weekly called "John Bull" which boasts of a circulation of a million copies. This article attempted to prove that war with Germany was inevitable, and the sooner it began, the better. The article comprised the following six headings: 1. Shall we wait until the income tax amounts to 1 shilling, 6 pence in the pound ? 2. Shall we wait until the smouldering industrial revolution, of which all our strikes give warning announcement, has burst forth into flame? 3. Unloose the dogs of war! 4. The mastery of the seas belongs to us forever. No other nation shall dare to challenge our supremacy. 5. Man is a savage animal, and there is no place for the tame under present circumstances. 6. The war with Germany is much more important than the war between the yellow and the white man will be. (retranslation)

Violation of Congo Acts. Colonial War. 53 to make war upon German East Africa, though this lay well within the Free Trade zone. This has now been thoroughly and indisputably established by the aforesaid memorial of the German Government. Let me recall the attack made upon the steamer "Hermann von Wissmann" by the English governmental steamer, "Gwendolin" on Lake Nyassa on August 25th, the bombardment of Dar-es- Salaam and similar heroic feats ! The natural consequence of this was that Germany was also forced to begin military operations —at first purely defensive. The brutal and unworthy methods by which this war has been carried on by England and France, are shown by a series of reliable and unpartisan and neutral reports, which, at the same time, confirm the fact that hostilities were begun by these nations. No respect was paid to German private property; the white civilian population of the colonies, men, women and children, were dragged off as prisoners of war and maltreated under the scornful laughter of the incited black inhabitants, and kept captive in districts which were simply ruinous to the health of these poor and unfortunate victims. The day shall yet come upon which we shall exact retribution for those things, exact it from those criminals that befoul us with the words "Huns and barbarians"—and then introduce a system of war into Africa which is nothing less than a disgrace for every human being that boasts a white skin,—as Dr. Solf so justly remarks. The English Government had begun its hostilities against the Government of the Cameroons, as proved by the official report of the Governor of that colony, as early as the end of July. As shown by the evidence given by subjects of neutral states, published by the Imperial Colonial Office in January 1915, the English carried on in the most shameless manner at Luederitzbucht. The whole civil population was separated and dragged as prisoners of war into the notorious concentration camps of Cape Colony. Everything was plundered. Even the dwelling of the British Consul Miiller and his library were destroyed. The English in German East Africa committed gross violations of the law of nations in that they attacked the Staff