WHO ARE THE HUNS?

Inhumane Methods of Warfare. 139
war, all prisoners of war are subject to the power of the enemy
country, but not to the -power of the persons or the divisions by
whom they have been made prisoners.
"They must be humanely treated."
"All their personal belongings, except arms, horses, and
military papers, remain their property.
"Prisoners of war .. . cannot be confined except as an
indispensable measure of safety and only while the circumstances
which necessitate the measure continue to exist;"
(Art. 4)—that is to say, only temporarily.
According to Article 7, "prisoners of war shall be treated
as regards board, lodging, and clothing on the same footing
as the troops of the Government which captured them.
"The State may utilize the labor of prisoners of war according
to their rank and aptitude, officers excepted. The tasks
shall not be excessive and shall have no connection with the
operations of the war.
"Prisoners may be authorized to work for the public
service, for private persons, or on their own account." (Articleô.)
"The Government into whose hands prisoners of war have
fallen is charged with their maintenance."
All these humane regulations, which,—as I by personal
observation am able to confirm,—have been most conscientiously
fulfilled in Germany, have been disregarded and ignored in
France.
According to unanimous reports from Belgium, England,
France and Russia all prisoners, yes, even those that were captured
in violation of international law,—Germans not liable
to military duty, inclusive of women and children,—were in many
cases subjected to extraordinarily harsh treatment. A memorial
of the German Government consisting of 56 large pages of print,
which lies before me, contains a vast amount of preliminary
matter in connection with the treatment of German prisoners
in French hands,—treatment in distinct violation of the Geneva
Convention of July 6th, 1906, and of the Hague Conference of
October 18th, 1907.
Herr Kristen, an Austrian Chief Engineer who had been
released from French imprisonment towards the close of September,
1914, has some very interesting facts to relate: