The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-02-22
What Will Be
Done With The
Prisoners of War
Three Big Camps Already In This
Country

VINO think more OF their native land |
and autocracy than they do of Amer
lea and democracy, are being caught !
daily by Uncle Sam and concentrated
in his war prison barracks. Approx |
mately 5000 of them have been
rounded up in the last ten months, a
total which will be greatly increased
before the end of 1918
Arrests vary from week to week.
To illustrate, seventy-one men were
sent to the prison barracks week be-
fore last while only ten fell into the
national drag net last week They
came from every walk of life. Some
are poor and ignorant, but at least
a score so far taken are wealthy men,
some of whom have the reputation of
being millionaires.
One million dollars, it is estimated,
will be spent this year in keeping a
watchful eye on the aliens and pris-
oners of war, concentrated in the
three army compounds in this coun-
try and in maintaining the detention
camps established by the department
of labor, which house 5000 detained
aliens and German sailors who were
taken from seized German ships in
termed in Atlantic coast ports, in the
Philippines and the Virgin Islands
! The expense for maintaining these
men will be turned over to Germany
when the war ends.
; The army conducts three prison
y compounds. One is at Fort McPher-
son, Ga where S66 prisoners Of war
sailors taken off raiders and in
|. termed naval vessels) are chartered
Another is at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga,
j., which is accommodating 357 interned
}, enemy aliens, who were placed in the
custody of the army by the depart
ment of Justice The third is at Fort
n Douglas. Utah, which now has 501
prisoners Of war and 1853 enemy ali
ems at Fort Douglas are separated
20 from each other, but are within the
v confines of tn same stockade. In ad
dition to the three compounds named
the army maintains a detention CAM
at Taboga Island which is quarter
n ing over fifty aliens who were cap
s. tured in the canal zone, or who wer,
seized by the Republic of Panama
and turned over to the United State
for custody.
X The War Department, appreciatin
RE that the number of prisoners will In
crease constantly as long as the wa
,aa lasts, is preparing to enlarge its pris
on barracks and if necessary to es
ip. tablish new ones along the Atlanti
I've seaboard A question commandin
The much attention at the present time
te' whittier Germans captured by Amer
can soldiers on the west front will b
maintained in France or will b
Tx brought to this country War Depar
RE ment officials estimate that $500
md German soldiers will be captured b
nus the American forces during the ne,
fed eight months. Some favor bringin
nay all the prisoners to this countr
a as. while others are just as firm in the
hin belief that the prisoners should
kept on the other side of the Atlanti
This question of what to do vii
-. prisoners brings to light an interes
ing controversy on the same subie
between Great Britain and German
= in the early days of the war. Viii
sed ''o WV 'o''" 100 ''' q" "'''o' ''''''
- ing that each would hold prisone
within its territorial limints, Gre
ia Britain in the first year of the W
;, maintained her prisoners in Franc
-. instead of Transporting them to Ell
80 land, Germany, always keen to ret
-.,s late, began sending British prisone
to Turkey. Later, when England
tablished prison camps at home, G
many brought the British prisone
~ back to Germany There is lit
likelihood, however, that anything
1 this kind will happen so far as t
United States is concerned for G
= many has permitted this country
know that there will be no obiecti
to our keeping priloers in France
I All prisoners of war and enc
aliens confined in compounds in
United States are under milit;
guard While they have had an Ell
G time of it this winter, there is so
I real hard work waiting for them
I soon as spring arrives. Since
= fall the prisoners have been
Moved at work in the prisons {
structing buildings, preparing
h