Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-05
FRUITS OF MILITARIsM,

II reports from Germany are true, the
brutality in the German army Is as
great az ever and some instances Of
barbarous cruelty are not different In
kind from those az one time practised
by American Indians,
The story Is told Of a private who was
the subject OF systematic abuse by pet.
~ officers. He was slow to learn all
the circus tricks that are now required
OF German soldier. And for that
reason he was logged, kicked, and
beaten. But the brutality OF the Of
ilcers did not stop with this. They made
him lick the dirty paving with his
tongue, and they flashed sunlight into
his eyes till he was blinded. He was
finally discharged as an INVALID" and
had to be taken home on a stretcher
A local doctor examined him and found
him blind, deaf and dumb. One arm
had been fractured and left unset, and
his body was one mass OF sores and
bruises,
According to revelations made by
German paper since Jan |, this year
there have been In the German army
20l trials and 1850 convictions Of off,
GERS and non-commlssioned officers for
cruelty TO their men, and the sentences
OF imprisonment or incarceration In
fortress which have been imposed,
amount to over fifty years. Between
the end OF June and the end of Sep
TENDER there have been no fewer than
eighty convictions of this kind, in
volving sentences OF imprisonment the
total terms OF which were over twenty
four years, TO say nothing OF condem-
nations involving Incarceration In a
fortress, degradation and other penal
ties Eleven of these eighty conyic-
tons were against officers.
one officer, sergeant, was found
guilty Of 1900 specified charges Of
cruelty against subordinates, among
them 300 severe cases one of which led
TO the suicide and another to an at
tempt at suicide of private The
accused, after lengthy and most
searching trial was condemned 10 three
years and six months imprisonment
end subsequent degradation, Accord
ing TO the testimony, this fellow made
use os great variety OF Instruments
OF torture. He used his tsts the fiat
or his sword, the handle Of his gun
u.
his cowhlde whip, his boots, a broom
stick, an Iron rod footstool his belt
ALI brought to bear upon the faces
and bodies Of his men on the slightest
provocation or upon none whatever
Just 70 crafty a feeling OF omnpotence
The following romark, made by the
presiding judge, affords an insight into
the spreading OF certain typlcaily Ger
man army maxlms from Official heights
above to the ranks below. "The de-
PENDANT Insists that he was forced To
resort to brutal practices because you |
Captain ---, told your non commis- |
stoned officers not to report petty eases
calling for correction, but to help them |
selves
II would be wrong 10 accuse German |
officers of greater cruelty than other
army officers Undoubtedly they are
as humane as the average But the |
fact is that miltarism has the tendency
u subduing the mllder instincts in
nan and bringing the slumber!ng brute
forward Wherever armies go. We read
" unspeakable horrors committed by
soldiers, In China In Africa, In the
we heard about shocking
atrocities, II il not true that Russians
md Turks are the only butchers in
lines OF war; Under the sway OF mill