The Washington herald., 1918-02-08
POLICY OF GERMANS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

and that 1t Is for the good Of the
world that all creation should come
under German sway.
The German people believe today
that Verdun was a German victory.
They believe that America Is incap-
able OF effective EFFORT in the war.
Have not the Kaiser and Hindenburg
told them SO?
One of the cheapest methods of
fooling the German people Is to move
British prisoners from one camp to
another. paradfng towns en- route, and
making the populace believe that the
prisoners have been recently taken.
A British officer in an internment
camp in Switzerland told me that by
this system he had become familiar
with eight different prison camps in
Germany.
Our group seemed to be the chosen
one for exhibition purposes, said he.
There were about 1000 OF US, all
taken in the latter part of 1914 First
we were held in a prison camp in
Westphalia. In 1915 they began to
move us. The moves always were
made after the people had been givef.
word OF troop activity in the West.
Moved Along n Notch.
Whenever the fighting went
against the Germans and was impor-
tant enough to get into the COM
muniQues, We were moved eastward
a notch. At the first town of any
size we would be taken or the train
and paraded through the streets.
In this way they kept US moving
from camp to camp eastward. and
then southwestward, till finally we
reached Mannheim, which was the
last of the eight prisons 1 was in.
OF course, 1t was only British who
were thus paraded. The Germano
seemed to prize US as prisoners more
highly than the men of other ma
tionalities. Besides, Germany knew
she had Russia on her knees. We
were supposed to be the proof that
the Germans were making headway
in the West.
Always our parades took place
through crowded streets. The whole
civilian population turned out to see
us. They would line the sidewalks
almost within touch of US, calling US
pig-dogs, and yelling. 'Gott strafe
England
some of US were not very steady on
our pins. Sometimes when such a
one would lag he was helped back
into line by a swift kick, Implanted by
one OF the men from the crowd
The government fools the people in
regard to German losses in the war.
No one except the military bosses of
Germany knows what Germany's
losses are. The newspapers are not
permitted to print the names OF the
killed and wounded.
After a battle the newspapers are
permitted to tell what troops we're
engaged. If anyone wishes to know
whether his father. brother or son was
killed or wounded. he must inquire
at the bureaus established by the gov
ernment.
Losses Not Realized.
Thus the cumulative effect of the
losses never comes home to the Ger
man people. Naturally each family
knows about its own men, but it has
no information as to what has hap
pened to others. except as such in
formation may come to it by chance.
The women are not permitted TO
wear black, so that not even in this
way may the people be reminded of
their grief. or be given n key to the
extent of the losses. 1t Is the crepe
bonnet and black dress one sees at
every turn in France that give that
country so depressing an aspect to
foreigners.
The German people have been
fooled about their food supply. In
the days when COW beets and straw
bread were the only fare for the
poorest classes, they were kept in
heart by government promises of
food supplies from conquered ter
ritory, East and West.
The German people have been
fooled into believing that Eng
lands food scarcity is greater than
in Germany, and the suffering of her
people. therefore more terrible.
The government keeps the peo-
pie in the dark concerning condi-
tions in Austria and Hungary. par
ticularly facts concerning strikes
and peace movements. Three news.
papers were suspended in Germany
for daring to print the fact that
the general strike in Vienna might
develop into an open revolution.
Newspapers are not permitted to
print anything about famine-dropsy
in Austria, hunger-typhoid in Ger
many. or the tremendous increase
in tuberculosis in both countries.
The record of undernourishment
furnished by these three diseases,
however, can be found in medical
reports circulated solely among
doctors. For some reason these re-
ports are not censored as other
periodicals are.
WILL THE GERMAN PEOPLE
EVER WAKE UP?
Yes. The awakening will come
about the time our American boys
begin their letter home with
SOMEWHERE IN GERMANY.
instead of Somewhere in France"
More Tomorrow.)
tcOpyrisbt. lsisJ