| Show WORLDS MOST ARMY MAINTAINED AT FRIGHTFUL COST There is a Reverse Side to German Military Glory That Sheds a Lurid Light on Conscription System Sufferings of oJ Men Through Enforced Service and andT Through T rough Astonishing Cruelties on the Part of Many of the Officers I Special Sp Correspondence e eB LIN Nov XO 20 Theiu Is 1 a L re reverse Ie B verse tRe side lle to the glorious pic picture ture tUI of the tho German army that is exhibited to thu world army Ilmy numbering In round figures l 4 of or trained soldiers is the most imposing ing and the mightiest fighting or organization ever created In Ute the worlds history hl Tl T Is the tho f old old massive nu foun foundation dation daton on which the whole government y f Germany G is built hU t up lP with Ith the ho dynasty at the top tOJ Tho lesIOns t gns of expert soldiers sollers under tho command of the tho German em om t could coul light and vanquish a com combination co of any 11 two other othel armies and probably a n combination of any an three other armies in Europe In case of or war w with wih France FITce they the would overrun French FIonch territory and occupy Paris within a fortnight Incidentally annex annexing ing In Holland and Ind Belgium to secure soeur their thel right Hank Experts acknowledge that they could accomplish the invasion of o and within a few days Ilay strike a death blow at the heart hoart of the British empire by lw seizing London Tho efficiency of the tho army is IA a a marvelous product of discipline and organization The Tho management of all aJ the different departments of the army arm which Is IA conducted with kih perfect order order and regularity is a L masterpiece of or organizing organizing genius At the tho word of com command command mand from the tho kaiser men would woul bo be summoned to rally rl around the flag lag Every ono one of or thc o e men knows where ho is I to muster where ho he can obtain his rifle and uniform where he Will wi be bo quartered at tho critical mo moment moI ment If I the antagonist be bo France I hundreds will wi convey within a afew afe few fe hours tho German legions to the appointed places along the frontier If tho enemy enem bo be Russia the te same elaborate clabo rate ra arrangements al would concentrate mighty forces IC S along aloag tho eastern efern fron tier ter of the empire Tho German army Is superb it tt is 1 Impossible to contemplate plato plate It without a L of enthusiasm and without a burst of admiration I GERMAN CONSCRIPTION I Hut But this magnificent military organization aton Is maintained at a terrible cost COlt and involves bitter biter sacrifices on the part of the entire population of or the tho country The financial cost of the thc army in tho shape shapo of taxation for tho maintenance of military armament is I tho smallest burden In this respect Tho leal financial sacrifice is involved I through the withdrawal every year ear of three II or four foul hundred thousand young men from fro I productive occupations oung to serve their term ferm of compulsory mili military ml tary tar service Every young German must enter the army arm between his eighteenth and twentieth birthdays and aUd must servo serve for a 3 period of two years If he belong to an 01 infantry tI regi regiment regiment ment and for rOI a period of three years ears If he be attached to the artillery arlle cavalry or engineering corps A small 0 smal percent percentage age age of or the tho recruits who wo havo 1110 enjoyed a college col e education and have hwe passed pal ed a difficult examination are privileged to lo limit their thel period of oC service to ono yea r ARMY AR fY OF OO MEN mx MENTho Tho standIng army IUm numbers close coso upon and all the are all al with withdrawn drawn from fl nf productive occupations to tobe tobe be trains for two or three years and to live during th period on the pub public lic lc revenues Io of or the country loss to Germany of oC the tho sory olY idleness of or tho flower of tho youth youthful ful I of oC the tho nation is Js enor N ali cannot be he expressed In tg Ues Apart A from the Injury inflicted through this loss of rf tho th life blood of lf I tho nation naton there Ms Ii an al enormous sum sumI total of Individual suffering caused CLu el by bythe bythe the withdrawal of of hundreds nf thou tou thousand I sand of young mon men from their chosen Iho n occupation iC In life Many young OUI mon 11 1 t us aA they h upon 1101 a career I and an l hap made nH de a n promising start shut 11 dragged out of their thel positions tOI tl to tn undergo their period I of compulsory In tho tm army u rl tl return from fl m they 11 find Hul their posts p occupied o and own in 11 that particular branch hi 1 lessened and Impaired by b two or years yearn of o absence The rhe brilliant op which was their Is and amI discouraged and rasp gone gone all disheartened d they the havo hao to 10 begin again at I I tho tie bottom frequently without any In real chance ehan e of or regaining what has his been lost STERN PUN If I there were compensating advant advantages ages in the tho German military system it I would be to view all al these dis disadvantages advantages with some sOle of equanimity equal But Ent the tie German military system H S tem Is I based on a I ferocious disciplinary linary plan Inn that brutalizes the soldiers Idlers and ami degrades them Into Int automatic fight fighting ing training their In Intel tel or 01 elevating their thel moral morl character From tho moment thu tho young soldier enters te barracks to undergo o his term of service to the mo moment 10 ment Ins ho doffs his uniform to tl resumes his civilian occupation ho Is I literally n a slave bound under terrible penalties to obey obe all al the commands of his hi super sUller superiors lor and exposed ed to punishments of or algo should he hI swerve In Inthe Inthe the ICI l degree tle ILe from the tho path of or un unquestioning questioning obedience SYSTEMATIC I Un UnI No Xo efforts are to conceal COI the tl systematic cruelty cd d by b the tb officers of cers 1011 and noncommissioned sied of or orthe the thu German to tn thu Ih com om common mon 1 rs rH their th h with the th Iy f fal ar of or their power and fn the t hi desired obedience to From line to time linN astonishing of or file tho methods pt 9 maintaining discipline dl ci pline get gl into public print send SUIl senda a thrill of horror through the ranka of the I he German Gellan nation Sometimes these details dl emanate from the Social Socialist 1st of the some sometimes times from the Socialist newspapers whose who editors 1 iI r on tho alert lert I to expose of this kind There here Is Isono II ono paper in Berlin l which a I regular practise of publishing i monthly lists of convictions of officers and noncommissioned or charges cruelty cruel to their Ibel sub Hub subordinates ordinates or nates and these lists with their dry details and statistical facts throw a I on the tho real character of or Gorman militarism Some cruelties to Soldiers ml worthy wIth of or closer olos r examina examination tion ton tionA A court martial which sat at Grau Graudenz Gru denz sentenced Sergeant of the Tenth ent company of infantry regi regiment I ment No 0 1 9 to depredation 1101 the rank rauk as noncommissioned officer I and to tb one years imprisonment for fors systematic s cruelty cruelly to soldiers The evi el evidence t dence taken m in this trial yielded the I proofs that Sergeant had Imd been eu guilty of 7 cases Nt eS of cruelty to his a I period of eight Corporal wa sentenced to tf six weeks imprisonment for aiding rind I nd abetting and Corporal four r ul weeks detention for forthe the thc same offense ofen BEAT DI NI HEAVY HEVY WHIP WIP AH J the tho details of thu tho acts ts of or cruelty perpetrated p by came out in the course cOUse of tho trial It I was shown by sworn evidence that It was his custom cu tom In t go round In the early morning and ami thrash the soldiers with a heavy leather whip as they the lay la in 11 bed betl to stimulate their speed In jumping jumping up and dressing HR le seemed to derive pleasure from beating their thell bare bodies until the blood flowed foed and In they the were well disfigured by J gap gaping IW ing wounds lie Ho varied the early earl morning thrashing by b jumping on the holes and stamping on the tho prostrate soldiers with his heavy cavalry caal Occasionally Occa ho would introduce another element of variety by b pour pourIng lug Ing a n pail ai of oC Ic could coul water on I the heads r the sleeping soldier REFINED CRUELTY During DUlI tho military exercises es which the tho soldiers hall had to perform every eVel morn morning ing 11 made ma e 1110 ue whip his bis heavy boots tho butt end of or a 0 rifle the sheath of or his sword and an tho flat lat edge of Ills hi sword to chastise his hia unfortunate I subordinates It I was proved that tat in innot Innot not less than eighteen cases he com compelled soldiers to stand close to a heat heated I ed etI stove In their heavy heay winter over oC J coats coatA until they the fainted from the effects of tho Ihl heM In one case cac cache he broke three ribs of a soldier solier he knocked down own and as lS he ho lay prostrate on the tle ground Witness af after lf ter witness appeared d to testify to the same revolting details and the thc same amo systematic pleasure plea uro In torturing his Ils subordinates The court ourt martial ruled that l c es of or cruelty 11 proved within eight months and added that all 11 the evidence given tended to show that hat had been b cn practising tho same sam savage atrocities during previous ten years ears of or his career as a a noncommissioned officer The of cruelty which are ar brought the tho public notice arc an appalling hut but there th rc is no d that for every case that is dis discovered covered and punished there thoro are arc dozens d z n nand and scores of cases that un unknown n known except to tha tho perpetrators and an their helpless victims Again and ant again soldiers who after long months of oC have hao In despair appealed for n protection against l thelt thel superiors havo hY been ht l why wh they the did Jd not report th t cruelties nt at once Olee and Hll In tho reply is I given that they to It do tl so EO The rhe German milita military ry n system R stel crushes the tho soul and sap the tie ot of the tho soldier lie le iw i 1 with wih such fear fel of his il up and with wih such blind acqui cenCI In the system that be le will 11 suffer those tho cruelties silently and nt wil complaint rather than boldly fed tie truth about the treatment meted out to II him hll COrD COLD FACTS Tho L ZU hw cato cupo Innately Is typical I The rhe official returns il to the toward the thu end of o the i v t o t gy g y y yX X X y y y y y 1 J j Y Y ri riy y J 1 X I I Y X f j ji i j j W 1 5 Tr PRINCE SARAH SABAH ED DIN DI 1111 10 is Actively the Princess til In Her Jel 01 o N last session selon stated that during the tho 11 I months month ending March 1903 IS 18 officers officers wow sentenced by b courts cOIls martial for cruel treatment of f their subordinates the thc evidence euco given nt at all 11 these more than 1000 individual cases case of maltreatment There lh le is an amazing variety about the acts of cruelty perpetrated on German acs soldiers Their TheIl tormentors seem to lo have ha e resorted to every pos possible sible that can hurt the soldier The mediaeval me morally morl or physically instruments of 11 torture employed ed In lu the dark larl ages cannot have inflicted more mom acuto sufferings on their thc victims than those undergone un by I tho soldiery of the Gorman empire in the twentieth cen century ee tury tUlY Practically all al the thC desertions from the German army rm are aro brought about by b cruelty cruel and Ind every year an al appreciable number of soldiers soliers com commit commit mit suicide rather than submit to the treatment meted motell out to them During six six months 27 cases of suicide due to cruel treatment tl havo 10 been re recorded corded In tn the tho German newspapers IN PEACE lEACE The ho external glory glor of tho German army reaches Its climax In the great held every ever September un under 11 der II the personal por supervision ot or the th thIsel kaiser Isel to I which foreign monarchs princes military experts and writers are arc invited in order or er that they the may mo nil 11 pay 1 their respective tributes to Gel Ger Germanys s war lord and his mighty legions A mimic war is conducted under Illel extremely realistic conditions s and Ind when the sham campaign Is s over oer overa oera a chorus of oC enthusiastic praise is heard in all quarters But those these magnificent nt exhibitions of 0 tho strength and effi efficiency m IY of ef the German G Iran army arc bought nt a terrible cost In the magnificent cavalry calr charges of which the tho kaiser is especially proud roud and which ho he de Ic to show to his distinguished guests there thero always are arc a n number of or soldiers unhorsed overridden and crushed to death under un cr the tho hoofs of or orIll hundreds Ill of or horses horl s following Other soldiers arc pierced by b the fixed their and in inthis inthis lances of or comrades s sent this way to a premature grave glae BEHIND THE SCENES When the tho infantry regiments make marvelous forced marches which de demonstrate te their of magnificent power endurance to all al tho world scores of or soldiers soldier fall fal by b the tho wayside wI in II utter ex exhaustion unable to carry car out the oner OUN onerous ous us task upon them In II numbers of 01 caSt cases S these permanent de tle defects ot or the heart or 01 other illnesses ac during tho arduous exertions of the kaisers mimic wars In order ortel that realistic conditions of war may maybe be e observed ob Iod the troops bivouac at night without regard for coW cold and alI wet ot and many man thousands of German Go man men can trace permanent rheumatic troubles and other forms ot of disease o to tho ef effects eff f ets of these these exposure exp to the rigorous climate of north Germany Gerlan I APPALLING STATISTICS No official statistics are arc available and antl such figures as al aro aO given cannot be bo J I IJ L I J Ji n T EP on js I TEj i M i 1 w wI I j f A 1 complete because an as many m accidents accident as possible aro hushed up by Jy tho au authorities It I is known however that in the tho killed in the tho maneuvers numbered 10 and I nd tho wounded I c those tho c injured enough to bo ho sent to tho hospitals over oer 1000 In 1005 1905 the tho dead and tho wounded mutely mato SOO In the number of fa ta fatal tal accidents rose ros to 96 and between 00 10 ant 1000 Were Incapacitated In II lIOi only 13 men were killed so St far r as a known and between and in This year ear tho casualties are said sail to have hae been ben reduced still sti further but the tho have a n suspicion cion that this thi means mealA only ou that in increased 11 creased precautions havo beon taken against leakage enge of or news on tha tho sub It I must be bo understood that ma maneuvers 11 euver arc not not morely thu tl great au IU maneuvers maneuver held hel under imperial supervision hut but that there them are maneu vers ers going on In all al parts p s coun try ty throughout th Clun autumn months p h from the thc great eat autumn maneuvers In which upward of or lOO troops P are a engaged nga ed each army arm corps carries lt ors In its Is own 01 district The rhe lanel facts l given th here re therefore th apply to 0 h r hold In IiI all n tho cOli country iry froni Otho rt t other YON t 1 1 B |
