The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1918-08-16

No more graphic description of the
ravages Of the German soldiery upon
the civilian population Of invaded
countries has been given than is con-
tained In the brief and simple state
ments of #. G. Walcott, now connected
with the United States food admins
tration, who was assistant to Mr..
Hoover while America was feeding
Belgium, Poland and northern France.
In one Of these statements Mr.. Wal
colt says:
Even now find 1t hard to describe
in comprehensive terms the mind Of
official Germany, which dominates and
shapes all German thought and action.
Yet 1t is as hard, as clear-cut, as real
as any material thing. saw it in
Poland saw the same thing in Bel
sium, heard of it in Serbia and Rou-
mania. For weeks it was always be-
fore me, always the same. officers
talked freely, frankly, directly. All
the staff officers have the same view.
Let me try to tell 1t, as General Won
Kries told me, In Poland, in the midst
| Of dying nation. Germany Is des-
tined to rule the world, or at least a
great part of it. The German people
are so much human material for build
ing the German state, other people do
not count. All Is for the glory and
might Of the German state. The lives
Of human beings are to be conserved
only If 1t makes for the stat IS ad-
vancement, their lives are to be sacri-
feed If 1t is to the states advantage.
The state is all, the people are moth
ing.
Conquered people signify little in
the German account. Life, liberty,
happiness, human sentiment, family
ties. grace and generous impulse, these
have no place beside the one concern,
the greatness of the German state.
Starvation must excite no pity; SYM
pathy must not be allowed, If 1t ham
pers the main design Of promoting
Germany's ends.
starvation Is here" said General
Won Kries. "Candidly, we would like
to see 1t relieved; we fear our soldiers
may be unfavorably affected by the
things that they see. But since it Is
here, starvation must serve our pur-
pose. So we set it to work for Ger
many. By starvation we can accom-
| plish In two or three years in East
Poland more than we have in West
Poland, which is East Prussia, in the
last hundred years. With that in
view, we propose to turn this force to
our advantage.
'This country Is meant for Ger
many" continued the keeper of starv-
ing Poland. "It is q rich alluvial
country which Germany has needed
for some generations. We propose to
remove the able-bodled working Poles
from this country. 1t leaves 1t open
for the inflow of German working peo-
pie as fast as we can spare them.
They will occupy 1t and work It,"
Then with a cunning smile, "Can't
you see how 1t works out? By and by
we shall give back freedom to Poland.
When that happens Polakd will appear
automatically as German province"
In Belgium, General Won Bissing
told me exactly the same thing. "If
the relief of Belgium breaks down we
can force the Industrial population in
to Germany through starvation and
colonize other Belgians In Mesopo-
tamia where we have planned large
irrigation works; Germans will then
overrun Belgium. Then when the war
is over and freedom is given back to
Belgium, 1t will be German Belgium
that is restored. Belgium will be q
German province and we have Ant
werp-which is what we nre after"
That is not all Removing the men,
that the land may be vacant for Ger
man occupation, that German stock
may replace BelgIans, Poles, Serbians,
Armenlans, and now Roumanlans, Ger
many does more. Women left captive
are enslaved. Germany makes all
manner of lust its instrumentallty.
The other day friend Of mine told
me Of q man just returned from north
ern France. II cannot tell you the de-
tails" he said, "man to man, don't
want to repeat what heard" Some
of the things he did tell-shocklng
mutIlatlon and moral murder. He told
Of women, by the score, In occupied
territory of northern France, prisoned
In underground dungeons, tethered fol
the use Of their bodies by officers and
4 men.
| II this is not piece Of the Prussiar
system, 1t Is the logical product Of dis
regard of the rights Of others.