Evening star., 1917-12-30
ASKS j. S. TO SPEED
ITS WAR ACTIVITY
French Censor on Swiss From
tier Writes to Friend
in Washington.
ECONOMIC CONDITION BAD

'T do not doubt the intensity Of the
effort in the United States. but what is
now needed most is speed. During the
first two years of war the economic con-
ditions in France had hardly changed,
: the prices of foodstuffs had not increased
much, but it has been quite different dur
ing the last year. And life threatens to
become precarious for the laooring
masses and employees living on a limited
salary
This Is an excerpt from letter writ
ten by Sergt Henri Chomard, French
censor on the Swiss frontier for nearly
three years, to his friend and former col
league. Francesca ventresca, now trans
lator in the War Department.
In peace time Sergt. Chomard was pro-
fessor in the Lycee of Bourg-on- Bresse,
where DIR. Eentresca also taught Sergt
Chomard's letters to DR.. Nentresca give
an illuminating picture OF present condi-
special permission of the chief censor in
France.
Speaking of the economic conditions in
France the letter quoted above, under
date of August Is, continues:
Contributed to Living Cost.
THE presence of numerous English SOL
to the high cost of living. Finally the
arrival Of the first American soldiers has
already caused all prices to advance.
They pay regardless Of price"
France is counting that America
will more than make up for Russia
from a military point of view," he
states. "As for financial assistance. no
nation could do what she (the United
States) already has done for the allies
Il know that the American people are
On
and by sheer necessity. They accept
the solution which their distinguished
President has chosen for them. For
long time we here (and in particularly
thought that President Wilson was not
sufficiently sensitive to the insults
which Germany was forcing upon him.
Today, being better informed, 1 recog-
nize my mistake. America, a CONNER
cial and industrial country, did not
want war at all, as late as year ago.
She was essentially paciffst. Credit is
due to her President for molding the
peoples opinion in favor of war"
Treatment of Prisoners.
The writer gives a graphic picture of
the treatment accorded French prison.
ers by their German captors. He says:
Here is something of which / should
like to speak to you. The Germans are
treating our prisoners in a manner be-
yOnd human endurance lens oI tHou-
sands of French soldiers in Germany
have already died. The others Will be
returned to us all broken down and
worn out According to a German off,
cial report published a year ago, 10000
of our soldiers were then filling the in
sane asyiums of Germany. Under all
sorts of pretexts they are infiicting ter
rible reprisals upon our unfortunate
prisoners.
Last year they sent 10000 of them to
Russian Poland. This year, at the end
of January. they sent $4,000 to the
French front, where they were exposed
to the fire from our guns These poor
men were packed in barracks, too small
10 afford them the least comfort. and
had no fire. They were not allowed to
receive parcels from home and were
made to work about 100 yards behind
the first line trenches. OF the $4,000
nearly 1000 were killed by our pro-
jectiles or perished Il ON disease. The
others were taken b,ssk to Germany in
OF their lives. The Germans practice
their reprisals especially upon officers
and intellectuals.
The French prisoners who during
the last two years have been working
in German mines are ruined for life.
They remain there for a few months,
underfed and doing work to which they
camp exhausted or sick. Germany acts
in this manner because she has twice
as many French prisoners as we have
German. At first she treated the En-
glish prisoners even worse than ours,
but now that England has more German
prisoners than Germany has English
our accursed enemy has changed tao
tics She no longer troubles the En-
glish prisoners. Just think of this cow
ardice!"