OCR Text |
Show GERMAN PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO TIRE! of in Correspondents From Berlin, Ber-lin, However, Say a Solid Front Is Still Being Presented. BREAK WITH THE U. S. AIDS KAISER Cynical Minority Biding Its Time Until There Are Good Prospects of Obtaining Ob-taining Peace. EEKNE, Switzerland, via Paris, Feb. 17 (from a stuff correspondent of the Associated Press). There is no doubt in the minds of Americans who have come to Switzerland from Germany since the teverance of diplomatic relations between Berlin and Washington that the German public today presents a solid sol-id front. Any clanger of serious internal in-ternal disturbances, such as has been hinted at in publications outside of Germany, Ger-many, is regarded as being as remote ae it was many months ago. Nevertheless the state of public opinion has become a pressing problem, especially during the last few week3. l-'rom these Americans, some of whom ha . e had exceptional opportunities to study internal conditions in Germany, the 'following information, representative representa-tive of their generally expressed views, has been obtained: The attitude of the German people became more of a problem when the break with America occurred, not because be-cause of any overwhelming majority opposed to the break, but because it lohowed so closely on th6 heels of the widespread peace talk, coming at a time when the yearning for cessation of hostilities hos-tilities had lately received such enormous enor-mous impetus. Cynical Minority. There exists in Germany a cynical, though not disloyal, minority, which frankly believes 'the peace offer was not made in the expectation that peace ould be brought about, but tor the impose of heartening a large but only potentially dangerous stratum of the population which is tired of war. This sn 'tion has been antagonized by the uu-t-i'e.uceable and uncontrollable Pau-t.eiman Pau-t.eiman element, which has clamored J or the annexation of everything thus far captured, or at least for very material ma-terial increases in territory. Although naturally unorganized, this stratum is verv extensive. It has taken the attitude atti-tude that the war and the causes thereof there-of are none of its affair and that annexations an-nexations would be of doubtful value. A majority of this element is indifferent whether "Belgium is retained or re- turned. It longs with increasing anx-ietv anx-ietv for peace. "the growing opinion that Germany cannot hope to ontain all that is desired de-sired by the extremists and the passionate pas-sionate desire to have it all over with on any reasonable basis and to get the members of the families back home have brought into being in the last few months a more or less powerful peace party. The cynics argue that the government, gov-ernment, recognizing the existence of this faction, decided on a moderate peace offer, which, if accepted, would please the peace advocates even though not entirely placating the Pan-Germans; while if rejected, the result would be unification of the people and obliteration oblitera-tion of the chasm between the peace faction and the Pan-Germans. Whether the cynics were right or wrong in regard to the motives of the government, the peace move brought about unification to a degree probably beyond the utmost hoped for. The German Ger-man people today are as united as at ! no other time since August, 1914. They I have the utmost faith that the subma-i subma-i vines will force England to her knees. I They are permeated with .the conviction convic-tion that ''unneutral" America already has done everything possible to injure Germany by unofficial aid to the allies, al-lies, that it is not to be feared economically eco-nomically any more than heretofore and that in a military sense it does not count. The Germans are united, from the lowest to the highest, in the belief that the entente allies intend to dismember their nation and consequently are determined de-termined to fight with the utmost energy en-ergy and with every weapon. Submerged, Not Obliterated. The peace party, however, is only ! submerged, not entirely obliterated, and the. break with America has not removed re-moved any of the differences of opinion. opin-ion. It is, of course, true that the break has iven an impetus to the aspirations as-pirations of the extremists, who see in the decision of the government to resort re-sort to unrestricted submarine warfare the first concession to their original demands. de-mands. The great bulk of the people, however, is still back of the chancellor and even under the new conditions would be perfectly satisfied with a solution so-lution on the basis of the status quo, caring little or nothinc whether Germany Ger-many obtains Belgium, Poland or Lithuania. Lithu-ania. Not a word in regard to indemnity indem-nity has been heard from these quarters quar-ters "since early in the war. An honorable and dignified peace is what is desired. As long as the entente intends to impose, terms regarded by the German people as equivalent to de- j struction or dismemberment, they will resist unitedlv, but, the American ob- ' servers say, there would be the threat of a serious rift if an opportunity for I a reasonable peace should present itself it-self and not be accepted. ' It is the estimate of conservative Germans, these Americans say, that the government would have been unseated had the decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare really represented a triumph for the pan-German element. As it is, the government remains in power supported by a people that for the time being has agreed to adopt pan-German methods, but which has a passionate desire for peace at he earliest ear-liest possible moment. Attention is directed also by these Americans to another phase of the problems having to do with German public opinion which is presented by the relations with the empire's allies. Although Germany has heralded persistently per-sistently the cordiality and indissolubility indissolu-bility of these relations, it has been an open secret for a long time that Austria Aus-tria in particular is bitterlv jealous of Germany on the one hand, and that Germany has had to exert strong influence influ-ence at" times to keep the dual monarch mon-arch v in- lino. Anstrinns had never felt the great need that Germany has experienced almost from the beginning and has never acquiesced gracefully in measures prescribed by Germany as absolutely ab-solutely essential. |