Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-03-04 | Page 4 | Claims German Prisoners are Badly Treated

GUIMS GEHMRH -. PRISONERS il BM1JE1TEQ Prussian Minister of Warj Von Stein Makes Sensa- j tional Speech Against Entente. FRENCH SAID TO BE WORST OFFENDERS Announcement Made That Measures of Reprisal Had Been Taken by the Imperial Im-perial Government. BERLIN, March 3, by wireless to fiajvUle. Lieutenant General von Stein, the Prussian minister of war, announced an-nounced in the reichstag today that reprisals re-prisals had been taken against what the minister termed the mistreatment .of Germans taken prisoner by the entente allies. The Overseas News agency (the official of-ficial German news bureau), in reporting report-ing today's deliberations of the reichstag reichs-tag says that General von Stein made a sensational speech regarding the treatment of Germans taken prisoner by the entente allies and that the war minister min-ister was frequently interrupted by the deputies when he told of the condition of prisoners in France, where, he said, the situation was the worst. Oppression Charged. "Unfortunately things there (Prance) do not grow better, but worse," General Gen-eral von Stein is quoted as saying. "The enemy endeavors to oppress our unfortunate un-fortunate comrades, both body and soul. The liberties which we granted to prisoners pris-oners in our camps in connection with art and science are unknown in France. We therefore abolished these liberties in our prisoner camps. "The time of warning, which had been fixed at four weeks and after which counter measures were to be taken, only benefited our .enemies. During Dur-ing that time we treated our prisoners decently, while our prisoners in the hands of the enemy had to suffer four more weeks of torture. I asked that the time be made shorter and this today was granted. "Counter measures will be immediately immediate-ly taken and continued until we have received from enemy governments news that the hostile measures have been abolished. Thousands of prisoners are , forced to work close behind the French J front under the fire of our cannon. If these unfortunate people seek cover . against our fire they are forced from the shelter by French officers. i "In England things are different. Al- ' though the English usually deny all charges of atrocities, it must be ac- . knowledged that in many cases they J have made redress and that in England 1 the treatment of prisoners generally is ' better. However, this does not exclude 1 the employment by the English also of ' many prisoners close behind the front. Therefore adequate measures are being i taken in reprisal. Excess of Work. ; " We know further that German pris- i oners in French ports are made to work ! to excess under unfavorable conditions 1 bv the British. For this reason also J English prisoners have been put in a i similar situation at certain places on ' the front. ) "Immediately after the declaration . of submarine war wo brought it to the J knowledge of the British government that special treatment of our brave sub- ' marine crews would be answered with j similar measures." i