The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-24
Aimed TO MAKE
POLAND DESERT
German System Reckoned on
Starvation of People to Pro-
mote Imperial Ends.
Won KRlES REVEALED PLOT
Country, After Population Had Been
Systematically Done TO Death, Was
to Be Restocked by Settlers
From Germany.

The ertent of human misery IN
Poland caused BY the German oc-
cupation uas as great as that IN Bel
qiun and France. The entire heart
Icssncss uhich characterized the kdi-
ser's high officers is weIl shown in a
statement by nr. Vernon Kellogg, |
prepared for q pamphlet issued D.
the committee on public informa-
ton. which lre copg.
The systematic exploitation of hui
man misery by the German authorities
In Poland followed the general plan
laid down by the kaiser's orders. In
order to prove the identity Of proceed
IRE it will be enough to present the
detailed report prepared specially for
pamphlet issued by the committee on
nublic information and written by Mr..
Frederic G. Walcott. 4 fuller and in
some ways more touching treatment
is given in his article, Devastated
Poland" in the National Geographic
Magazine for May, 1917.
september, 1917.
"Poland-Russian POland-iS per-
ishing. And the German high com
mand. imbued with the Prussian sys-
TEN, is coolly reckoning on the neces-
sites Of a starving people to promote
its imperial ends,
"West Poland, which has been Prus-
sian territory more than a hundred
years, is a disappointment to Ger
many; its people obstinately remain
/ Poles. This time they propose swifter
! measures. In two or three years. by
grace Of starvation ma frightfulness,
they calculate East Poland viii be
| thoroughly made over into u German
province.
an the great Hindenburg drive one
year ago, the country was completely
devastated by the Tetreating Russian
army and the oncOming Germans. \
million people were driven from theil
homes. Half of them persisted by tn
roadside. For miles and miles, when
saw the country, the way was littere
with mudsoal4cd garments ard bone
picked clean by the crOWs-th0dgh tn
larger bones had been gathered by tn
thrifty Germans to be ground into fer
tiliZer Wicker basketS-the little has
ket in which the baby swings from tn
: rafters in every peasant home-wer
scattered along the way hundreds an
hundreds, until one could not couu
them. each one telling a death.
Deliberate Policy Of Starvation.
"Warsaw, which had not been q,
stroyed-once a proud city of 4 mjllio
people-was utterly stricken. Poe
folks by thousands lined the street
| leaning against the buildings shiverin
in snow and rain. too weak to lift
- hand, dying of cold and hunger. Thouc
] the rich gave all they had, and Il
: poor shared their last crust, they we
n starving there in the streets in drove
q I'm the stricken city, the German 60
/. ernor of Warsaw issued q proclaim
IL ton. All able-bodied Poles were bi
7 den to go to Germany to work. If al
n refused, let no other Pole give him
eat, not so much as Il mOuthful, ind
penalty Of German military law.
1T was more than the mind cOu
grasp. To the husband and father
:, broken families, the high commal
Il gave this decree: Leave your famili
H to starve; if you stay, We shall see til
II You do starve-this to Il high-struI
H sensitive highly organized people, Il
II from the authorities Of a nation III
II Tossing civilization and religion to n
II lions of fellow Christians captive a
H starving.
Il General Won Kries, the govern
II was kind enough to explain. Candid
H they preferred not quite so much st
II Walton; it might get on the nerves
H the German soldiers. But. starvati
II being present, it must work for G
III man purpose. Taking advantage
- this wretchedness, the working men
Poland were to be removed; the Co
try was to be restocked with Germa
Ii was country Germany needed
allgvial soil-better suited to Germ
expansion than distant possessions
The Poland that was had TO perish.
4 much the better for Germany.
! TO Make Poland German Province
Il Remove the men, let the young
II | weak die, graft German stock on
] women. See how simple ii is: wit
crafty smile. General Won Kries {
c,u3ed, BY and By W" must give b
freedom to Poland. Very good it
| rearpcar IS 4 German province
A slowly / came to realize that
monstrous, incredible thing was
J i'rrssian system, deliberately che
by the circle around the ALL gh
ana kneaded into the German PEE
till it became part Of their mind
diff '|iermgn people are material
Aer building the state-of no other acco
nnI 0th"r people are for Gprmanys Wi
and- work upon Humanity, liberty. equa
rful The rights Of othcrs-all foolish
Democracy. an idle dream. The
Pr sian lives only for this, that
Eerman state taay he mighty and u
iii the wees I'M the long a