The Washington herald., 1916-04-16
Allies Fear Germans, When
Fighting with Backs to the
Wall, Will Use Threats to
Starve 5000, 900 Prison
ers as Weapon to End War.

Starve 3,0OO,0O0 Prison
ers as Weapon to End War.
pages In. the record. So long as Ger
many was winning. so long as the war
remained a deadlock. German opinion
would never sanction any systematic
helpless 22.oOo.oc
Terrible Prospect Ahead.
But II the armies OF the allies move
forward, IL the British blockade produces
famine in the Fatherlsnd? The least to
be expected is a notification to the allies
that IL they want their 100000 soldiers
fed they must send In the food for them
That move is expected by many before
the beginning of next winter The next
move, accompanied. of course, by cries to
all the world that Germany was willing
to quit and call the war a draw, might
be threat TO expel all enemy civilians
from the conquered territories unless
a peace were granted.
This terrible prospect might well give
the allies pause. II could not but dis
organize the internal conditions of Rus
sia and France while the horrible suf-
fering involved would be beyond imagina-
ton. These are some Of the things that
men mean here when they speak darkiy
OF the approaching lapse of Europe into
savagery. The phrase may prove to be
no mere rhetoric.
Aside from the possible use of prisoners
and civilians as weapons of warfare,
there are two ways only in which Ger
many might attempt TO carry out the
dark threats of Editor Harden and In
flict more frightfulness upon enemies
who will not grant her peace They are
by developing the submarine war and
BY making use in land or air fighting Of
hitherto unused chemicals or germs.
The submarine issue, which so vitality
affects America, is well understood. The
new REPRESENTATIVES, now upon the
trade routes have not up to this point
been very successful. and a number Of
them have been captured or destroyed
by the British fleet I am In possession
of positive facts regarding the success
of the campaign against these craft,
which / am unable to make public at
present, the admiralty desiring to keep
the Germans in ignorance concerning the
exact fate of their boats The rage and
chagrin of the Germans at their failure
may, now or later, result in an order TO
sink everything.
Concerning germs and chemicals, much
Misrepresentation exists. The leading
biologist in England told me: Speaking
broadly, the Germans are using the most
effective methods of destruction known
to science. 1t would be impossible at
present to make war more destructive
| than 1t is.''
Popular Terror Derided.
The popular terror lest the Germans
drop plague or cholera germs on Lon
don from Zeppelins, or threaten to do so
unless their terms are met, he derided.
There would be not one chance in q
million, he said. that such germs would
take effect in a single human being and
he blamed for the present apprehension
popular novelists who write about Walls
of plague microbes which could de-
populate a city II released. II would not
be possible, the scientist said. for spies
to poison great reservoirs. and epidemics
which might be started by spies could
promptly be stamped out by preventive
measures. Assuming for the sake of
argument that a contagious disease could
be spread by an army among Its op-
ponents," he said, under present con-
dltions OF trench warfare lit would not
take more than three days for the disease
to spread across the lines
There are only four poison gases, a
CneInlst tOtQ me- Wnlcn are prHcticaOle
for use in war. They are chlorine, bro
mine, carbon monoxide and acrolein.
Poison gas to be effective must be heavy,
or II rises. OF these gases, brom.ne,
chlorine, and carbon monoxide have been
used, and acrolein. made by burning
crude giycerin. is vastly more expensive
than the others and no better for use
IN the field
The use OF prussic acid In bullets,
constructed with device that releases
the acid after the bullet takes flight, Is
said by this man to be practicable, and
instant death would result for soldier
struck by such a missile. However, the
object in battle is to put men out of
action, rather than to kill them, and
since most men struck are put out of
action In any case 1t seems unlikely that
modern power would introduce such
q scheme, which would cover Il with
infamy and result In no very definite
military advantage.
II, then, any "super-frightfulnessn be-
comes an issue in this war, IT is likely to
center around those 100000 prisoners
and 100000 enemy civilians in the
power Of the Germans. l have no right
to suggest that such measures as have
been discussed here have been even con-
sidered by the Germans, but the possi-
bilities should be understood. for when
a proud, fercely patriotic people believes
itself to be facing destruction, II Is
likely TO make use of any weapon that
may be available to force its enemies
to stay their hands