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About Ashland tidings. (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1918)
PACE SIX ASHLAND lrDDfOS Monday, February 23, 19 1 9 AIMED TO MAKE ; POLAND DESERT Serman System Reckoned cn Starvation of Pe3?!e to Pro mots Imperial Ends. VON KRIES REVEALED PLOT Country, After Population Had Been Systematically Done to Do.ith, Was to Be RcUocked by Settlers From Germany. The extent of human misery in Poland causal ly the German oc cupation was as great as that in Bel gium and France. The entire heart lessncss which characterized the kai ser's high officers is well shown in a statement by Mr. Vernon Kellogg, prepared for a pamphlet issued by the committee on public informa- tion, which we copy. The systematic exploitation of hu man misery liy the German authorities In Poland followed the general r'"1' laid down by the kaiser's orders. In order to prove the Identity of proced ure It will be enough to present the detailed report prepared specially for a pamphlet Issued by the committee on public Information and written by Mr. Frederic C. Waleott. A fuller and la some ways more touching treatment is given In his article, "Devastated Poland," In the National Geographic Magazine for May, 1917. "September, 1017. "Poland Russian Poland Is per Idling. And the German high com mand, Imbued with the Prussian sys tern, Is coolly reckoning on the neces filtles 6f a starving people to promote lta Imperial ends, ."West Poland, which has been PruS' elan 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 and frlghtfulness, they calculate East Poland will be thoroughly made over Into a German province. . . . "In the great Illndenburg drive one year ago, the country was completely devastated by the retreating Russian army and the oncoming Germnns. A million people were driven from their homes. Half of them perished by the roadside. For miles and miles, when I saw the country, the way was littered with mudsoaked garments and bones picked clean by the crows though the larger bones had been gathered by the thrifty Germans to be ground -into for tillzer. Wicker baskets the little has ket in which the bahy swings from the rafters In every peasant home were scattered along (he way, hundreds and hundreds, until one could not count them, each one telling n death. Deliberate Policy of Starvation. "Warsaw, which had not been de stroyed once n proud city of a million people was utterly stricken. Poor folks by thousands lined the streets, leaning against the buildings, shivering In snow and rain, too weak to lift n band, dying of cold and hunger. Though the rich gave all they had, and the poor shared llinlr last crust, they were starving there in the streets In droves. "In the strlckcu city, the Qerniuu gov ernor of Warsaw Issued a proclama tion. All able-bodied Poles were bid den to go to Germany to work. If -any refused, let no other Polo give him to eat, not so much as n mouthful, under penalty of German military law. "It was more than the mind could grasp. To the husband and father of broken families, the high command gave this decree: Leave your families to starve; if you stay, we shall see that you do starve this to a high-strung. sensitive, highly organized people, this from the authorities of a nation pro fessing civilization and religion to mil Hons of fellow Christians cupllve and starving. "General von Krles, the. governor, was kind enough to explain. Candidly they preferred not quite so much star vatlon; It might get on the nerves of the German soldiers. But, starvation being present, It must work for Ger man purpose. Tuklng advantage of this wretchedness, Ihe working men of Poland were to be removed ; the coun try was to be restocked with Germans. It was country Germany needed rich alluvial soil better suited to German expansion than distant possessions. If the Poland that was had to perish, so much the belter for Germany. To Mike PoV'nd German Province. "Remove the men, let the young and weak die, graft 'German stock on the women. See how simple it Is: with a crafty smile, General von Krles con cluded, Tsy and by we must give back freedom to Poland. Very good; It will reappear an a German province.' "Slowly, I came to realize that this monstrous, Incredible thing wos the Prussian system, deliberately chosen by the circle around the all-hlghivjt und kneaded Into the German people till it became part of their mind. "German people are material for building the state of no other account. Other people are for Germany's will to work upon. Humanity, liberty, equality, the rights of others all foolish tali; Demnoraey, an Idle dream. The tnw Prussian lives only for this, (hat the German state may be mighty and great "All the woes In the lung eouni against Germany are part of the Prus toin system. The Invasion of liclglmn. the dcpurtaUomt the starving of sub ject people, the Armenian massacres, jtrocltles, frlghtfulness, sinking the f.usitanln, the submarine horrors, the enslavement of womer all piece Into the monstrous view. The rights of na tions, the rights of men, the lives and liberties of all people are subordinate to the. German aim of dominion over all the world. "FllKDEMC C. WALCOTT." Mr. Vernon Kellogg's statement 1 as follows : Saw Only Massacre and Ruin. "It was my privilege and necessity In connection with the work of the commission for relief In Belgium to spend several months at the great headquarters of the German armies In the west, and later to spend mora months at Brussels as the commis sion's director for Belgium and occu pied France. It was an enforced op portunity to see something of German practice in the treatment of a con quered people, part of whom (the French and the Inhabitants of the Bel gian provinces of Fast and West Flan ders) were under the direct control of the German general staff and the sev eral German armies of the west, and part, the inhabitants of the seven other Belgian provinces, under the quasi civil government of Governor General von Bissing. I did not enter the occu-' pled territories until June, 1915, and so, of course, saw none of the actual In vasion and overrunning of the land. 1 saw only the graves of the massacred and the ruins of their towns. But I saw through the long, hard months much too much for my peace of mind of how the Germans treated the un- fortunates under their control after the occupation. Destruction Complete. "As chief representative for the con mission, it was my duty to cuver this whole territory repeatedly in long mo tor Journeys In company with the Ger man officer assigned for my protection and for the protection of the German army against any too much seeing. As I had opportunity also to cover most of Belgium In repeated trips from Brus sels Into the various provinces, I nec essarily had opportunity to compare the destruction wrought In the two re gions. "I could understand why certain towns and villages along the Mouse and along the lines of the French and Eng lish retreat were badly shot to pieces. There had been fighting In these towns and the artillery of first one side and then the other had worked their havoc among the houses of the Inhabitants. But there were many towns In which there had been no fighting and yet all too many of these towns also were In ruins. It was not ruin by shells, but ruin by fire and explosions. These were the famous . 'punished towns. Either a citizen or perhaps two ot three citizens had fired from a window on the invaders or were alleged to have. Thereupon a block, or two ot three blocks, or half the town was niethodlcully und effectively burned or blown to pieces. There are many of these 'punished' towns in occupied France. And between these towns and along the roadways are innumerable Isolated single farmhouses that are also In ruins. It is not claimed that there was any sniping from these farm houses. They were just destroyed along the way and by the way, one may say. When the roll of destroyed vil lages and destroyed farmhouses in oc cupied France is made known, the world will be shocked again by this evi dence of German thoroughness. Found Neutrality Impossible. "Rut the horrible methods of that deportation were such that we, al though trying to hold steadfast to a rigorous neutrality, could not but pro- j test. Mr. Gerard, our ambassador to Berlin, happened at the very time of this protest to make a visit to the great headquarters in the west and the matter was brought to the attention of certain high ollicers at headquarters on the very day of Mr. Gerard's visit and In his hearing. So that he added his own protest to that of Mr. Poland, our director at the time, and furthet deportations were stopped. But a ter rible mischief had already been done, Husbands and fathers had been taken from their families without a word ol good-by; sons and daughters on whom perhaps aged parents relied for sup port were taken without pity or appar ent thought of the terrible conse quences. The great deportations of Belgium have shocked the world. But these lesser deportations that is, lesser In extent, but not less brutal In their carrying out are hardly known. Germany Must Be Civilized. "I went Into Belgium and occupied France a neutral and I maintained while there a steadfastly neutral be havior. But I came out no neutral. I cannot conceive that any American en joying nn experience similar to mine could have come out a neutral. He would come out, as I came, with the Ineradicable conviction that a people or a government which can do what the Germans did and are doing la Belgium and France today must not be allowed, If there Is power on earth to prevent it, to do this a moment longer than can be helped. And they must not be al lowed ever to do It again. "I went In also a hater of tfar, and I came out a more ardent hater of war. But, also, I came out with the Ineradic able conviction, again, that the only , way In which Germany under Its pres-1 ent rale and In Its present state of ' mind can be kept from doing what it has done Is by force of arms. It can- I not be prevented by appeal, concession or treaties. Hence, ardently as I hope I that nil war may cease, I hope that this war may not cease until Germany realizes that the civilized world simply will not allow such horrors as those for which Germany is responsible In Belgium and France to be nny longer possible. "VIinNON KELLOGfl.".. . Large Acreage of Grant Land Unsold S. W. Williams, special assistant to the attorney general at Washing ton, has returned from Washington, where he appeared beforo the com mittee on public lands In reference to the Coos Bay wagon road bill, says the Oregon Journal. He will meet in conference with the various state and county officials whose of ficial position brings them in touch with the case as soon as such con ferences may be secured, in an effort to make such a presentation of facts and data to the land committee as will gain Its support for the bill now pending before it. Mr. Williams was called to Wash ington several weeks ago to appear before the committee on public lands and outline the position of the De partment of Justice in reference to the Sinnott bill It was at that hear ing that the opposition to the terms of the bill arose from different mem bers of the committee who objected to the disbursement of 50 per cent of the net proceeds to the Irreducible school fund and port, road and dis trict funds i of Coos and Douglas counties. Mr. Williams' statement to the committee showed that the original Coos Bay grant comprised 105,000 acres of land, in a tract approximate ly 65 miles long by sis wide, extend ing from Marshfield to Roseburg. Of Beaver Board the peer ot all wall boards. Come in and get a sample and literature. Ashland Lumber Co. Phone 20 this total sum 12,000 acres have been sold, leaving approximately 93,- 000 acres in the grant as it now stands. The Sinnott bill provides that the government should pay Coos and Douglas counties approximately $408,000 in taxes and Interest, and the Southern Oregon Company, own er of the tract $232,000 for its inter est in the land. The company, in exchange for this payment, is to re convey the land to the government by deed. These payments would leave ap proximately $1,000,000 as -the net value of the grant, which is to be sold under the same terms and condi tions as set out in the Chamberlain Ferris act administering the Oregon & California grant lands. The Sinnott bill also provides that of these net proceeds 10 per cent shall be retained by the general fund of the government, 40 per cent be ff C7y Q Wg3 elicioiBS, Harmless, Mutrious Made of Carefully Selected Cereals ' 'Evenly Blended For Sale at all Grocers in the Valley apportioned to the reclamation fund, 25 per cent to the irreducible school fund of Oregon, and 25 per cent to the two counties of Coos and Douglas for their lojui, port and district funds. The public lands committee is hesi tating concerning the payment of more than the accrued taxes and pen alties to the two counties and is showing a disposition to retain all ot the net proceeds. Mr. Williams will co-operate with Attorney General Brown and the officials of the two counties and Is preparing a showing In support of the present terms of the bill by which the school fund and county funds are to receive 50 per cent of the net proceeds or $300,000 In round numbers. WARXIXG ISSI KI) AGAINST SWINDLER Another scheme for swindling the farmers of the United States has been discovered by the Federal Farm Loan Board. A man advertising himself as an authorized organizer of nation al farm loan associations is sending out advertising matter emblazoned with the national flag, stating that he will organize such associations at $500 each, and will teach others the trick tor a certain sum ot money. His advertisements have reached farmers and business men over a large part of the United States. He : claims to be so busy organizing na tional farm loan associations that he needs help, but will take time to teach others for a monetary consider ation. All such representations are fraud ulent. In order to borrow under the farm loan act it is necessary for farmers to organize co-operative na tional farm loan associations in their local communities. It is a violation of a ruling of the Federal Farm Loan Board, published more than a year ago, for a national farm loan associa tion or a joint-stock land bank to spend any money for promotion pur poses. Associations thus organized will not be chartered by the Federal Farm Loan Board. Farmers are warned, therefore, against any one asking a fee for his proffered services in connection with applying for a loan under the federal farm loan act. ATHLETIC WORK IN EXPERIENCED HANDS Athletic work in army camps and cantonments Is in the hands ot 32 trained organizers and coaches. They are civilian aids on the staffs of com manding officers, and their salaries are paid by the government. Particular attention has been giv en to boxing, as it assists men in bayonet fighting. A committee of best-known boxers worked out plans, and moving pictures to teach boxing have been made. Baseballs, bats, basket balls and soccer balls, boxing gloves and other equipment are sup plied each company, in" part, from a government appropriation. 11 The New Breakfast Beverage EVERYBODY IS DRINKING IT Better Than Coffee Costs Less Has all the snap of high-grade Java Coffee with the Caffeine taken out TISCAXIA'S LOSS I'ROTKCTEO BY I". S. Every American soldier or sailor lost on the torpedoed transport Tus canla was protected by the United States government insurance and government compensation. This has been officially announced by Secre tary McAdoo. Those who had not applied for in surance were covered by the auto matic insurance under the law which is payable to a wife, child or widowed mother,. This automatic Insurance aggregates $4,300, netting $25 a month for 240 months. Of those who had applied for and obtained Insurance many had taken out the maximum amount ot $10,000, netting $37.50 a month for 240 months. j There have been various causes for delay In forwarding checks to the de : pendents of soldiers and sailors, j The distance of many of the appli cants from Washington and the mall. I congestion prevailing more or less all over the country have caused delay both in the receipt of the applications by the treasury and the receipt of the checks by the beneficiaries. Another cause Is that of the checks sent out 10,000 could not be deliv ered because the dependents to whom the checks were payable had moved, leaving no forwarding ad dresses, or the addresses originally given were incomplete or erroneous or so illegibly written that they could not be properly deciphered. Nearly half a million checks were mailed out in January and all possi ble expedition is being made to get all the addresses and other details correct so that the dependents of the soldiers and sailors will receive their allowances promptly and certainly, j . The Tuscania carried down with it more than its own weight In Ameri can pacifism. I Cleanliness, Personal Attention and Courtesy Combined to Make the Eagle Meat Market Popular INSPECT our market and your confi dence will bo behind tbo pleasure of eating our meats. The knowledge of cleanliness and a sanitary work L. Schwcin 81 Have Tour Clothes Made at Home John John the Tailor A Fit Cleaning and V Pressing ,.. - ...--A .. . ... .. CITY BOYS EQUAL TO . THOSE OF COUNTRY According to records of the select ive service, country boys do not show ranch physical superiority over those of the cities. For purpose of com parison selection was made of cities of 40,000 to 500,000 population, and ' a corresponding set ot counties ot the same total size. In the physical examinations 28.47 per cent of the city boys were rejected, as agaln.it 27.96 per cent of the country boys. Old papers for sale at Tidings of fice. SHLAND . MILLS Ifnrlpi Mpiat B Management Denton 4 Humphreys Proprietors, are here to serve the people at reasonable profits. Our Watchword Is Quality and Service Custom grinding solicited. Custom Prices Cleaning, per cwt 110c Grinding 15c Per 100 ton lots, per cwt 12 c Rolling 15c In ton lots 12 Vic Corn meal bolted, per cwt 25c Flour, graham and whole wheat and com meal, 1-8 tole. Grinding and rolling, 1-10 tole. shop will aid your digestion. N. Main Pbone 107 Tailoring" for Hen and Women for Clothes or No Sale Austin Hotel BlocK 3C