The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-04-22
Warfare by Starvation
BY Albert Bushnell Hart, Professor
Of Government, Harvard-Written
For The San Francisco Chronicle

sitting around tables In q luxurious
room to write DEGREES and resolutions
and orders in council intended to cut
off the supplies Of food from their
enemies. AS a military and naval
maneuver this method goes back to
the siege of Jerusalem, described,
with all It's attendant horrors by the
historian Josephus, whom good chill
dren used to be allowed to read on
Sundays. 1t was used as late as
1871 against the vast metropolitan
city of paris, which was compelled
to surrender after a three months
siege, in the course of which the Par
isians had eaten even the animals in
the Jardin des Plantes. The world
admits the right of an army or
navy to incest place and to offer to
the garrison and the civil population
the alternative of surrender or death
by starvation.
To apply the same method to q
country Is different matter. In the
Civil War the United States drew an
iron ring of blockading ships and
armies tight around the Southern
Confederacy. This very nearly cut
off the exports and thus paralyzed
the purchasing power of the Confed.
eracy; at the same time 1t prevented
imports of much needed arms and
munitions. Yet, neither the armies
nor the people lacked food, though
poor transportation often caused the
troops at the front to suffer 1t is
doubtful whether the public senti-
ment OF the north would ever have
backed up the intent to cut off the
food supply of hundreds of thousands
of noncombatant Americans. Never
theless, this is precisely what Ger
many is trying to do to England and
England is trying to do to Germany.
During the early months of the
war the Germans circulated elaborate
discussion Of the food supply. in
which they made it clear that they
had been in the habit of importing
only about 10 or Is per cent OF their
consumption of breadstuff, and that
deficiency could easily be made up
by planting potatoes instead Of sug-
ar beets, and by diminishing the
amount Of food consumed by families.
1t was, therefore surprise when on
January rs, the German government
gave notice that It was going to take
possession of all the grain and -four
In the empire, except what might be
Imported from abroad. This meas
ure was not a confiscation, but the
announcement of a purpose to take
over the stocks in the empire TO be
paid for at valuation to be fixed by
the government. Inasmuch as such
proclamation would not have been
issued unless the Germans felt them.
selves In tight place, 1t seems alto
gether likely that there Is a short.
age.
Therefore, England at once took
steps to prevent grain from other
countries reaching Germany, either
by direct shipments or through neigh
boring neutral countries. The Ger
mans tried to turn the tables by de.
stroying all vessels and cargoes
bound to England, including the
heavy shipments Of food which are
constantly passing from the United
States and other countries to Eng.
land and France. Each side declares
that 1t is going to finish the war by
starving the other country out. Eng
land does 1t by declaring blockade
which is not a blockade, and is con.
trary to the rights of neutral coun-
tries. Germany does 1t by declaring
the seas adjoining England to be "a
zone of war; though the war opera
tions consist of the irregular sour
rings of submarines. Neither power
has the naval strength, necessary to
strangle the other.
The attempt to cut off supplies is
likely to bring about several compll-
cations. England and France have
probably several hundred thousand
German prisoners. The Germans
claim to have a million English, Bel
gian, French and Russian prisoners,
and certainly have between seven
and eight million Belgians whose in.
dustry is broken up and who are
practically for the time being Ger
man subjects. II Germany is &C.
tually made foodless, what Is going
to become OF those people? II pris
oners suffer for food in Germany,
German prisoners in other countries
will be subjected to the same treat
ment. II the Belgians should receive
any different treatment than that OF
the rest of the civilian population
subject to German government the
whole world would rise to call Ger.
many a nation OF murderers. There.
fore the prisoners and the Belgians