The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-30
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director.
WashinEton, D. c.
PRIsONERs OF WAR.
Washtngton, D. c

PRISONERS OF WAR
Washington, D. c., May 27.-EverY
week, the department of justice turns
over a new group of dangerous enemy
aliens to the custody of the war de-
partment. The total number is now
quite impressive. They come from
all sections of the country and rep
resent all classes of Germans, from
their nationality apparent only in
their mustaches. to machinists who
speak but a few words of English.
Many are women-boarding house
keepers. mattresses, confectioners.
dressmakers, wives of Germans. Some
undoubtedly are harmless; others are
as safe as dynamite.
There are now nearly LOO such
| aliens interned at Fort Oslethorpe.
Ga. and Fort Douglas, Utah, but the
near future officials of the war de-
partment expect it to increase by
leaps and bounds. In addition to
these civilian prisoners, the war de-
partment is also charged with the in
ternment of all naval prisoners cap
tured by the American navy, and with
the German sailors taken off mer-
chant vessels, such as the Vaterland,
| upon our entrance into the war, and
| placed until recently under the juris-
QlCtlOn OF the department OF LABOR.
From this it may be seen that the
governments prisoner-of-war prob
| lem is by NO means slight. Like every
other belligerent, the United States
was totally unprepared for such an
emergency upon its declaration of
war. Even Germany. whose prepara-
| tons for war had been going forward
for the past fifty years, had neglected
to include arrangements for prisoners
| of war in its military calculations, and
| found itself greatly inconvenienced by
the large number of prisoners cap
tured in the early part of the war.
| In this country, unprepared for war,
there was practically no accommoda-
ton at all for a sudden capture of a
thousand German sailors. @
Much has been accomplished in the
| past year, however, and among other
things the war department now pos
| sesses a well-bui1t and well-managed
system of prison barracks. Quarters
have been built for war prisoners at
Fort Oglethorpe and Fort Mcpherson.
| Ca, and at Fort Douglas, Utah, of the
same two-story type that has been
| erected at the various army canton
ments. They are healthy and SAM
| tary. comfortable altho not luxurious,
and are equipped with work rooms
| where the prisoners will be encour-
aged to work.
For the new science of prison man
agement has had its effect, even in
| war War prisons are no longer the
terrible places they once were. where
men recovered from bayonet wounds
| only to die of filth and scourge, where
prison wardens competed with each
| other in demonstrations of cruelty,
and where men went mad from idle
ness and their own thoughts. The
| war prison of today is much like the
civil prison, the only punishment i'm
posed being the discipline and confine-
ment. ;
The prisoners are, of course, COM
PEELED to work, but this is for their
| own good as much as anything else,
| because idleness is unhealthy. The
| secretary of war has just approved a
plan for leasing German sailors for
road work to several states. The men
are powerfully built and used to hard
work. They will be paid standard
| wages for their work, from which the
cost of their ~upkeep will be deducted
the rest will be deposited to their
| credit in the war prison bank for the
purchase Of such Iuxuries as tobacco,
| toilet articles, writing paper and read
ing matter.
Others Of these German sailors are
to be put to work on small truck
patches at the army environments to
/ help produce fresh vegetables for
| American soldiers. They will also be
paid for this work.
The employment Of the many dan
gerous enemy aliens constantly ar
civins. at the war prison barracks is a
more complicated problem. As has
been said. they represent all classes
There is DIR. Karl Muck, welI-edu-
Gated musician, charged with espion-
age; there is the amiable German
grocer apprehended with a message
from Won Bernstorf, and there is the
German mechanic supposed to be
guilty of starting a fire in a munition
plant Employment will have to be
| furnished all of these. Doctor Muck
may have to do clerical work, the
German grocer take charge of the
kitchen, and the mechanic stoke the
kitchen range. In the meantime they
are all being employed in various lines
OF work necessary to the expansion
and upkeep of the prison barracks.
Whether or not the German mill.
tary prisoners captured by Americans
on the western front will be returned
to this country or kept on the other
side is still to be decided by General
Pershing. So far, none has arrived
and the war department is relieved OF
that particular phase of the problem
1t has only to care for those that are
already here
In other countries the arrival OF
!, large numbers of military prisoners
every two or three weeks has beer
nothing less than a nuisance. Wher
the first transports of German prison.
ers crossed the English channel, Eng.
land had not the slightest idea wha1
1t was going to do with them. In the
hurried preparation for war this hac
been overlooked. Quarters were hastfl,
fitted up in Alexandra Palace, how.
ever. and since then Great Britain ha,
Quilt prison accommodations as dill
gently as it has army environments
Dorchester. bennington Hall, Hand
forth, dollhouse Park and Eastcort,
are all filled with German prisoners
While at the beginning of the wal
the German prisoner sometimes faret
badly owing to the lack of prepare
lions. he is now we'll treated. In fact