The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-01-24
GERMANY GUILTY
OF BARBAR|T|ES
IN WAR CONDUCT
Atroclous Treatment Of the Help.
less Part Of Campaign Plans
Of Military Leaders.
POLICY OF FRIGHTFULNEss
Terrorism Declared q Necessary Prin.
eiple In National Warfare--Bru-
ta'itles May BE Said to BE o.
reetiy Attributable to the
Emperor Himself.


The committee on public infor-
nation. appointed By the president
and consisting Of the secretary Of
state, secretary Of pdr, secretary Of
the nary. and George Creel, official
censor. has made public mass Of
evidence dealing NTH German par
practices phich shows the kaisers
leaders ir the field and in command
Of captured points 10 be directly re-
sponsibie for The bedstliness which
has characterized the operations Of
the "Huns." IN The present conflict.
Quotations from the pamphlet fol-
lou:
For many years leaders in every civ
ilixed nation have been trying TO make
warfare less brutal. The great land
marks In this movement are the Ge-
neva and Hague conventions. The for
mer made rules as TO the care OF the
sick and wounded and established the
Red Cross At the first meeting at Ge-
nevn, In 1864. II was agreed. and until
the present war II has been taken for
gruntcd. that the wounded, and the doc.
tors and nurses who cared for them.
would be safe from all attacks by the
enemy. The Hague conventions.
drawn up Ia 1899 and 1907. made add
uonal rules 10 soften the usages OF war
and especially to protect noncombat-
ants and conquered lands. Germany
took prominent part in these meet
ings. Ind with the other nations SOL
EMMY pledges. ner faith 10 keep all the
rules except one article In the Hague
regulations. This was article A.
which forbade the conqueror 20 force
any OF the conquered to give informs-
ton. All the other rules and reguia-
tons she accepted In the most binding
manner.
Bn' Germany's military leaders had
no intention OF keeping these solemn
promises. They had been trained
along different lines. Their leading
genernis for many years had been urg-
ing a policy Of frightfulness. In the
Clausewitz was looked upon as the
greatest military authority. and the
methods which he advocated were used
by the Prussian army in its successful
wars OF 1sG6-1S71. Consequently be-
cause these wars Ind been successful.
the wisdom OF Won Clausewitz' meth
DDS seemed TO the Prussian army to be
fully proved.
Policy Of FrIohtfuIness-
Now. the essence Of Won Clausewitx'
teachings was that successful war In
wolves the ruthless application OF force.
In the openlng chapter Of his master
work. "vom Krieee" con WARY, he
says:
evidence arms itself with the inven-
tons OF art and science. Self
imposed restrictions. almost impercep-
tibie and hardly worth mentioning,
termed usages Of international law.
accompany II without essentially I'm
pairing Its power. Now. philan-
thropic souls might easily imagine that
there II n skillful method OF disarm-
ing or subduing an enemy without
causing too much bloodshed. and that
this In the true tendency OF the art OF
war. However plausible this may APP
pear. still II In an error which must be
destroyed; for In such dangerous
things as war. the errors which pro-
coed from q spirit of 'good-natured-
ness are precisely the worst. As the
use of physical force TO the utmost ex-
tent by no means excludes the CO
operation Of the intelligence. II follows
that he who uses force ruthlessiy. with
out regard TO bloodshed. must obtain
a superiority. II his enemy does not
90 use H."
In 1s77-7S IN the course OF a series
Of articles upon military Necessity
and Humanity" General Won Hartmann
wrote, In the same spirit as Won Clau-
sewitz:
"The enemy state must not be spared
the want and wretchedness OF war;
these are particularly useful In shat
tering It's energy and subduing Its WILL"
"Individual persons may be harshiy
dealt with when an example Is made
Of them, Intended 10 serve as a warn
ing. Whenever a national war
breaks out. terrorism becomes a nee
essary military principle" 1T is
gratuitous illusion to suppose that
modern war does not demand far more
brutality, far more violence, and an
action far more general than was for
merly the case"
In 1881 Won Moltke. who had been
commander In chief OF the Prussian
army In the Tra. 'o-Prussian war. de-
clared:
.Perpetunl peace Is a dream ana not
even a beautiful dream. War IL an eie-
ment In the order OF the world estab-
lished by God. BY II the most noble
virtues OF man are developed. courage
and remuneration. fidelity TO duty and
the spirit OF sacrIfice-the soldier gives
his life. without war. the world would
degenerate and lose itself In material