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Show s ,.in,... H y WT Til KM TO WOKIC m " Indifference to the demands wo should make on B , our prisoners or war must bo swopt asldo If wo do H , our duty by our country and our soldiers. Hundreds H of thousands of our young men havo quit civil lite B during the last few months to follow the colors Into H Xhe thick of battle. The commercial nnd Industrial B ' gf 8) stems of the country havo suffered as theso men B " hnvo been tnkon from civil pursuits. Many lines fid BVJ 5 nu ncuto labor Bhortago and many others have been B forced to enlist women to do tho work formerly cai- H ried on by men. B Meanwhile we havo gathered thousand!) of alien B onemles for Interment for the duration of war. Wo B feed them well and give them all of the comforts of H n business man's club. In addition to that we place B them on tho government payroll. No work Is ru- B quired of thorn In return for kind and considerate B treatment. The treatment is everything that could L ,, be desired by n man seeking a shiftless but comfort- m nble existence. Our defense of this humauo treat- H meut of prisoners of war is that we oxpect Germany B t reciprocate as she detains our citizens and soldiers. B Many tales have come to us concerning the trcat- B inent of prisoners falling Into German hands, la BBBJ these tales we find nothing on which we can build tho BBBJ. ' hopo that our men will be treated ns well as Ger- BBBJ mans In our hands. The men of llelglum and north- BBBJ era France taken by the Gorman a havo not only been BBJ compelled to labor but they have be-en compelled to BBBl tho work of actual preparation for battle. They have H been forced to aid In the manufacture of muultlous BBa and wo have had Instances called to our attention BBfl ) where tho women were forced Into tho same sort of PVB , slavery. Wo have seen the women of our allies used BBB " "IS shields for the attacks of the German and Aus- B Irian armies. Still wo cling to tho hope that Gei- BBVB many will treat her prisoners as we treat ours. BBH Wo need not go as fur ns Germany, but our self PVH '.respect nnd our future demand that wo ccaso sup- PBH porting these men in idleness, while tho country Is PBH -experiencing nu unprecedented demand for men. If BBVB we proceed as wo have started we will arrlvo at tne BBVfl reconstruction period to find that our commercial BBH nnd Industrial pursuits have loarned to get along PBB "without the men taken front them by tho army. PVH When these men return they will find that thr PBB places hnvo been taken permanently by women nnd PBB they will be a drug on tho labor market. Wo can PVB nvert this by making use of the tabor which can bo BBVH supplied by our internment camps, for their entry BBB Into tho gaps of commercial ttnd Industrial lifo will BVBS .be temporary. Their service will automatically eno' PBBt with the cessation of hostilities, leaving vacancies PBH open io the men returning from tho front. BBBf livery able-bodied prisoner of war should bo PBBj thrown into the gap In tho ranks of labor. Tho coun- PBBj try is suffering a fuel famine, aggtavated by tho PBBJ labor shortago. War pilsoners, wot king for army PBBJ pay, could aid Ln solving this problem. They will PBBJ not suffer fur this labor and the country will prot't PVBJ ln protection against tho danger points to be faced ln B '10 reconstruction. Germany's prlsouurs slavo; thero BVMBJ ts no reason why those of the 1'nlted States fthould B not wur1 Herald Republican. BBBBBBBBM rtm |
