The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-04-30
SAYS BRITISH
PRISONERS ARE
MA[TREATED
GERMANS VIOLATE THE HAGUE
RULES OF WARFARE. SAYS THE
BRITISH WAR SECRETARY -
SHOOT IN COLD BLOOD"


day that British prisoners had been
insulted, maltreated and even shot
down by their German captors. He
said in part:
Il have been forced with reluct.
ance to accept as indisputably true
the maltreatment by the German army
of British prisoners. The Hague con-
yention has been fiagrantly disregard =
ed by German officers. Our prison
eds have been stripped and maltreat.
| ed in various ways, and in some cases
the evidence goes to prove that they
have been shot in cold blood. Our
officers, even when wounded, have
been wantonly insulted and frequently
struck
Earl Kitchener said that as a SOL
der he had always held officers of
the German army in despect, but con
stant testimony that has come in.
not only from our own escaped pris.
oners, but from French Russian, Bel.
| gian and American sources, has
| brought it home to all who have sift-
ed the evidence that the inhumanity
! displayed by the German authorities
toward British prisoners, especially,
is beyond doubt He added
Il think it only fair and right to
| say that the German hospitals should
be excepted in any charges of delib-
crate inhumanity.
Treatment of prisoners in the de
tention camps in Germany varies con.
| siderably according to locality. Lat
terly there does appear to be a
slight improvement, in some respects,
due, perhaps, to visits of inspection
made from time to time through the
| American ambassador.
Recently some of our officers have
been subjected to solitary confine-
ment in retaliation for the supposed
treatment of Germans in this coun.
try. The Hague convention does not
permit of such confinement of prison
ers of war except as an indispensable
measure of safety.
Germany has for many years posed
before the civilized world as a great
military nation. She has abundantly
proved her military skill and cour-
age. But surely it was also for her
to set up a standard of military honor
| and conduct which would gain the re-
spect if not the friendship. of ma
| tiOns. Instead, she has stopped to
acts which will surely stain indelibly
her military history and which would
vie with the barbarous savagery OF
/ the Dervishes of the Sudan.
Il do not think there can be SOL
dier of any nationality, even amongst
the Germans themselves. who is not
heartily ashamed of the slur which
has thus been brought upon the pro-
fession of arms.
The usages Of war have not only
been outraged by the iniiction Of
| cruelties on British prisoners, but by
contriyance which must have ar
rested your lordships' attention. the
! Germans have in the past week in
troduced a method of placing their
opponents hors de combat by the use
Of asphyxiating and deleterious gases.
and they employ these poisonous
methods to prevail when their attack,
according to the rules of war, might
/ otherwise have failed"
Lord Lansdowne. leader of the op-
| position in the house of lords, also
spoke He said the charges against
! Germany of caIlous, inhuman treat
| ment of prisoners had been proved
10 the hilt," but that England had
/ reason to be grateful to the American
government for the manner in which
/ it had seconded the efforts OF the
/ secretary of state to secure redress.
Lord Cromer. former British agent
and consul general in Egypt. declared
/ there was strong feeling in the
army against the policy of the ad
miralty regarding the treatment OF
| German submarine prisoners.
Lord Lucas, president of the board
/ cs agriculture, stated on behalf OF the
government that the special treat
ment for captured submarine crews
had been adopted not as a policy OF
reprisal. but as an expression of the
highest moral disapproval OF German
methods; the treatment of the sub
marine prisoners. however, conformed
to the provisions OF the Hague con-
vention, he said
| Winston Spencer Churchill. first
lord of the admiralty, in the house
Of commons. explained Great Bri,a!n's
policy in the matter OF the treat
|. ment of German sailors captured on