The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-07-12
CHILDREN FORCED
TO PROVIDE FOOD
(By Cyril Brown.)


Copyright. 1918. by New York World.) }
The Hague.-Militarism has broken
the strike of the Hamburg Bourse. The
commanding general of the local army
corps promulgated ordinances threat
ening all exempted members with be-
ing Immediately drawn into the army
unless they resumed trading forth
with. The result was that the Ham
burg brokers voted for an immediate
resumption OF business on the Bourse
| A curious instance of militarism Ii
| reported from Dresden. The militar,
| authorities Of the government of Sax.
ony decreed that the school children
of that state will not get a summer
vacation beginning on July Is unless
they voluntarily" gather at least
100000 tons of leaves as 'Ersatz" hay
for horses of the field armies.
The military and civilian authorities
for weeks have been exerting pressure
on the school children to make hay
voluntarily. but the results have been
disappointingly small resulting in this
drastic threat to the children unless
they gather the fun amount of hay.
This military measure" incidentally.
is proof of the tremendous manpower
shortage during the harvest season.
The reichstag debate on the army
budget disclosed other interesting
phases of militarism. War Minister
Won Stein regretted frequently the
"far-reaching promises made to the
reichstag, which afterward gave rise to
loud complaints when they could not
be kept" The unkept promises hinted
at by Won Stein include the promise
to release the oldest landsturm men
from the service. and also the surviv-
ing sons in families that had already
lost several.
Liberal Representative Mueller, from
Meiningen, charged that deep resent
ment prevails in wide army circles
because of the tremendous number of
convictions of innocent soldiers who
have no appeal from the verdict in
the field. The army budget debates
are read at the front with breathless
tension. Whoever reads the thousands
of letters reaching reichstag members
from the field knows how demorali2ing
is the treatment accorded here to the
wishes of the field gray men,
He asked the war minister whether
or not soldiers have the right of inter
course with their relchstag members,
evoking the ironic ejaculation from the
body of the reichstag: You'll wait a
long time for an answer"
Mueller disclosed that soldiers. writ |
ing to reichstag members again and
again beg that their names be not dis |
closed. He cited the bitter resentment
among fighters at the front |
because the iron cross of the first class |
had been distributed to all members |
of the higher military bureaucracy and !
even to the bureaucracy behind the
front.
This has been felt like a blow from |
a whip by the men at the 'front.' he |
declared.
The war minister disclosed that |
prisoners returned from Russia nat
nrally are duty bound at any time to
be employed in the army again." add
ing that written pledges again given
oy German prisoners in Russia to Eng
ish and French officers were not bind
ng.
Worth, a Catholic member. asserted |
hat "civilian clothing of men drawn |
nto the army has been confiscated pt |
,bsurdly low prices" and said "the
must accustom themselves to
rear sharp speeches In the reichstag."
Socialist Stuecklen disclosed that |
fen. Won Vietinghoff, commanding the |
Second army corps in the district |
lround Stettin. had forbidden the cir |
'ulation of the socialist organ Vor- |
vaerts in the hospitals and barracks |
n his corps district. The speaker |
ldded:
THE outrageous conduct of the Stet- |
in commander shows we have mill
AIRY absolutism."
Liberal members have charged that |
'esentment was caused among soldiers
IN the battle fronts by reports of Ger
nan war correspondents, particularly
~ "exaggeration of enemy losses and
he all too crude minimizing of our
'wn losses, also by running down en-
,my soldiers"