Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-04-19
OFFICERS
BRUTALITY EXPOSED
L. :. Government Issues Important
War Booklet About German
Militarism

Washington, d. C.-The naked
brutality Of Prussian militarism in
everyday garrison life is revealed by
the testimony of German soldiers,
press and public men. The German
government, from the Kaiser down,
has supported German army officers
in their revolving brutality to Ger
man soldiers. This is the evidence
contained in the United States gov
ernment's latest war booklet of the
War Information Series, entitled
German Militarism and It's Germ an
Critics" This booklet is released
through the Committee on Public In
formation, Washington, d. c.. to the
American public, and anyone may OBJ
tain copy without cost by writing
to the committee. The author of this
booklet is Charles Altshul, a retired
banker of New York City, who has
made a very careful study of German
newspaper criticism. 1t is a most
powerful expose of German militar-
ism. Mr. Altshul states beating and
abuse have been in vogue in the Prus-
sian army as long as it has existed,
nearly 275 years, and every effort 20
eradicate the trouble has failed. "
There are five chapters in this inter
est.ng booklet, the first dealing with
German militarism since 1914; the
second on the brutalizing effect of
militarism; the third shows the Ger
man militarism eXaltation of the
army above the civil authorities; the
fourth chapter illustrates the IA
bern Incident" as an evidence of mill
tarism over civil authority; and the
fifth chapter deals with the hope for
the future in the conduct of German
military authorities. All material in
this booklet is based upon verbatim
quotations from the German news
papers who stood aghast at the dis
play of license and unbelievable bru-
tally practiced by commissioned and
non-commissioned officers in the
German army barracks. The main
source of inform alton is the Var
warts" the official organ of the Ger
man Social Democratic party, At the
trial of Rosa Luxembourg 922 men
from all parts of Germany responded
and were ready to testify to some
thing like 10000 separate instances
of brutal treatment of German SOL
diers by their own officers, even at
the risk of prosecution by the mill
tary authorities. One chapter of his
testimony reads, He was struck in
the face with the fist by Lieutenant
Erler, so that a tooth bled and got
loose. He was beaten till he was
bleeding but report of the case was
not sent higher up. Musketeer Hem
pei shot and killed himself after drill
because he had been grossly insulted
by corporal in front of the whole
company. A reservist threw himself
in front of a railroad train; another
drowned himself, because they could
no longer stand the abuse of non
commissioned officer Huebner. So
overwhelming was the evidence pre-
pared by the attorney for Rosa Lux
EN- burg that German military author
tiles never allowed the case to be
brought to trial. In another para
graph of this booklet Mr.. Altschul
states, IF Americans had been ia
miliar with the details of German
militarism they would have expected
the worst during the stress of a cam
paign, and would have been less I'M
prepared for the unheard-of barbar-
tiles practiced by the Germans in
Belgium and wherever they set foot
If officers, non-comm issioned offic-
ers, and professional regulars treat
their own recruits in the fashion de-
scribed, in times of peace, what could
De expected Oh troops COIHuldHueu ny
such ruffians in enemy country, I'M
der the terrific excitement of combat,
and particularly when "frightful-
ness" is the slogan.
Summarizing the hope for the flu
ture Mr.. Altschul says when the
German people awaken from the
nightmare which now holds them in
its grasp; when they realize it was
the dream of world power that had
blinded them; when, under the pres
sure of stern necessity, they recast
their views of frightfulness and OF its
consequences-then there will re-
awaken that conscience which the lib
eral press endeavored to stimulate in
times of peace, and it will again be
possible to treat with Germany of to-
day as with the Germany of old,
when she had not yet sacrificed her
soul on the altar of efficiency.
The question on every tongue IS: