Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-06-29

for regional duty. Two days later, hard
ly before making myself familiar with
the type Of the under-sea-boat put in
my command, was ordered to report
to Cuxhaven. As the cruise from vii.
helmshaven to Cuxhaven was a surface
cruise L found my commission not so
difficult. On reaching Cuxhaven 1 heard
so many accounts of terrible, yes, hor-
rlble conditions prevalent in that base
that made up my mind then and there
to desert at the first favorable oppor-
tunity that presented itself.
L learned that our higher admiralty
command had completely lost its head
and was treating every common soldier
that fell under their unfavorable sus-
picion with undesirable barbarities.
Let me state here very strongly, how
ever, that there is not the slightest pos
sibility of an organized or near-organ-
lied mutiny in our ranks. In the first
place an organized mutiny is beyond
any conception of possibilities. In the
second place, the discomfort is not aimed
against Imperial foreign policy or
against Imperial war policy. 1t is sim.
ply caused by the admiralty's barbar.
Gus treatment of the common seamen.
The admiralty authorities have not the
slightest fear of a war vessel crew
turning against the Imperial forces dur
ing inaction or during battle against
our enemies. The admiralty's uneasiness
is simply actuated by fear that dis
content when generally spread in the
ranks would eventually undermine the
general morale Of the entire fighting
forces. For that reason, instead of study
ing the deep-rooted causes of discomfort
in the ranks and reforming itself, it is
now engaged in crushing the suspect
ed inspirers Of dissatisfaction through
cruel and barbarous methods.
AS an example, 1 was told at Cux-
haven that few weeks earlier, two un-
der-officers were subjected to lash pun.
ishment at the hands Of punishment au-
thorities in the presence Of a large
group of marines. One of the unfortun.
ates died after the second application
of the fifteen lashes, while the second
victim was in the hospital in a very
precarious condition. No one doubted
that the murders of the four higher
officers who had taken part in the lash
punishment ceremony, only the night
before my arrival at Cuxhaven, was
the direct result of such procedure
These four Officers were shot by bullets
that came mysteriously from the direc-
tion of the barracks at which the crews
of many war vessels are stored during
inaction. -Four shots fired from amongst
the 5000 men could not be located
Many of these 5000 common seamen
knew the guilty persons in their ranks
but naturally could not be persuaded tc
voluntarily betray their fellowmen. Be
sides such a betrayal being considered
highly dishonorable, there was still
stronger motive in their reticence. Nc
betrayer under suaA circumstances
would survive the revenge of the
others. So a proclamation was ISSUED
that unless the men at the barracks in
formed the authorities secretly" every
seaman in the barracks would be sub
iected to six lashes each. The result was
that such tactics simply proved the stu
pidity of the high ranking officials sta
toned at Cuxhaven. No less than foul
hundred names were reported secretly
under a secret ballot scheme. And ever
then, instead of regarding this as a good
joke perpetrated in their expense, they
summoned all these men, and in groups
submitted them to severe examinations
The final result proved thatsthe common
seaman had little honor and were amx
ious to betray each other for the sake
of escaping from the threatened SIX
lashes. It proved that among the sea
men there was not solidarity. Besides
betraying the four Of their fellowner
who had mysteriously shipped at foul
officials of the punishment dignitar
les they further betrayed nearly. fifty
others and testified against them, ,ihvolv
ing them with plots of serious upris
ings, most of which found credence only
in their own imaginations. At the enc
of the investigation the naval author
tiles had few more than sixty seamer
J in their hands who were accused Of var
ious crimes, bordering on high treason
These men were given six hours to maxi
complete confession as to their part
in the various plots. In two hours thu
authorities had 27 men as candidate
for execution.
While at Cuxhaven I noticed how in
tensely busy our fleet was making pre-
parations for the coming day. Battle
ships entered the inner harbours, bat
tleships left the harbour, torpedo-boat
of all descriptions and destroyers of al
sizes and types cruised hither and thith
er, while every measure was being takel
to man our entire reserve under-sei
craft with new crews. Cuxhaven being
the nearest one of our principal nava