Ogden Daily Standard | 1919-06-16 | Page 4 | What Would Please Germany?

oo j WHAT WOULD PLEASE GERMANY? Nothing would so please the Germans Ger-mans as labor unrest in the countries ol ihe allies. Writing from Berlin, Ben Hecht says : "The unrest in France and the etrikefl in Paris and Calais form the chief source of interest and conversation conversa-tion for German officials anil German newspapers todav. The German capitalist capi-talist and militarist classes are oven more elated over the French developments develop-ments than are the sympathetic labor classes The former classes figure that France and the rest of Europe arc In for a period of feverish excitement. "We have had our troubles here," said a textile manufacturer with whom I talked. "Now our revolution is ended and Germany will soon bo sane again and under the control of real construc-live construc-live men. And while the Germans are rebuilding, the rest of Europe, espc cially France and England, will be In the throes of revolution, strikes and j internecine wars. Everything Is turning turn-ing out fine." In prophesying Germany's early return re-turn to sanity the textile manufacturer manufactur-er showed his satisfaction at the gradual grad-ual domination of the Ebert-Scheide-roann government by the military powers pow-ers under Noske, Hindenburg, the general gen-eral staff and the thousand and one officers controlling the army. An idea of the important position of this new army in German political life ma) be gathered from the fact that Germany spent more in the month of May for the support of it than it spent during the entire year 1914. Two billion bil-lion marks were required to maintain Noske's soldiery in May as against 1.500,000,000 marks to finance the Gen man army of 1914 for the entire year One explanation of this striking situation situa-tion is the fact that soldiers now receive re-ceive from 6 to 8 marks a day instead of 30 pfennigs (7Vj cents) In 1914, and that officers draw from 400 to 800 marks a month instead of 60 to 80 I marks (15 to $20 ) The unusual num-I num-I ber of officers on the government's payroll serves also to keep up the expenses. ex-penses. Everywhere there are indications that the grow th of the militarist influence influ-ence is slowly undermining German socialism and German democracy. An order was issued last week by the gen oral staff announcing that it was again compulsory for soldiers to salute officers "even when notion duty." "Civilians "Ci-vilians are not required to salute officers," of-ficers," solemnly continues this order.