The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-17

specIai Correspondents Of The Sunday Republic.
Berlin, May 6.-Uncl Sam will soon be
feeding Germany with a spoon. Her abili-
ty TO feed herself is steadily decreasing.
she will eventually be dependent upon us. as
is John Bull. The first six months Of last
year We sold her 9,ao tons of meat, 5000
tons OF rye and 566.oW tons OF wheat.
The farmers are objectins 70 these i'm
ports. and they want a tarif. The truth Is
they cannot supply the nation. no matter
what their protection. Their soil is poor
and they lack the labor 10 work theiS es-
tates. The character Of the Empire is
changing. A generation ago the majority
of the people were farmers To-day two
thirds OF them are engaged in professional
there Is a steady exodus from the faffns to
the cities. The farm hands get low wages
and their hours are long. The factory
hands work less and are paid more.
The army has also cut down the farm
employees. According to law every German
must be q soldier at about the time he
reaches manhood. The chief headquarters
Of the soldiers are in and about the cities,
and the farmers boys thus get a taste Of
military life. They refuse to go back to
the farms at the close OF their service, and
the result Is that the agricultural workers
grow fewer and lever. To-day the great
part Of the farm and are women, and
much farming is poorly done.
THE ~AGRARIANS.
You have seen mention Of the AErarians
IN the newspapers They are the CHIEF
enemies Of American foodstufs. They ight
the Introduction OF our pork and would like
TO put O big tax on American breadstufs.
Before I came here / supposed these men
were hard-fsted farmers like our graneers.
and that their party was q party OF the
poor against rich. Of the farmer against
the monopolist- It il not The Agrarians
are the mobiles Of Germany. They are the
landholding classes, and many Of their rela-
tiyes are In office and many In the army.
Tie German Empire is divided UP into
large estates, many OF which have been in
certain families for ages. There are also
smaller estates, but many men have in the
past lived OF the income OF their farms.
The most OF them are ~extravagant and nave
large families dependent upon them. Their
sons IN tile civil and military employ are
poorly paid and have to be helped. and the
result Is, TX there Is not a profit from the
estates. the whole family goes hungry. met
sphorically speaking.
Again the soil OF Germany IL poor. It
cannot compete with our rich lands OF the
West. and the landholders are running be-
hind. They have mortgaged their estates
In some parts OF Germany to 70 per cent
of their value and they have an interest
debt to meet every quarter. Their only
hope ie In raising the price OF food Stunts.
1IllS AhcAa5 AVSbLh8 ohA kiuAxiD " VA liS
markets. which. 30 far. they have not been
able to do.
- BACKED By THE KAISER
The Agrarians are TO some extent backed
by the Kaiser. He Is an estate owner him.
self. He belongs to their class and he
SeoNs he can rely upon them. His chief
-onioials in both army and navy are from
the Asrarians and he would please them II
he could. AT the same time he is broad
minded and far-seeinE. He knows more
about the country perhaps thaa any man
in It and with all his idiosyncrasies he is
packed with common sense. He knows
thsk Germany must have cheap food II low
waSes are to prevail in the factories and
the Germans thereby be able to compete
with the rest Of the world in commerce and
trade
The Kaiser recently said he would not
sanction bread usury." He does much to
hold the Agrarians back. and at the Same
time helps them whenever be can. He
would like to see Germany raise its own
wheat and rye for fea: q war may shut of
outside supplies. but apparently realizes the
impossibility =.
To-day the German Army subs,sts largely
on American food. Its horses eat American
corn and when the troops were sent to
China not long ago they were supplied with
American canned meats. much to the dis
gust Of the Agrarians. This matter was
Z brought UP In the Reichstag and It was
shown that the American canned meats
were the cheapest and best.
Indeed. the Kaiser well knows that Amer
lean foods are good. He likes American
sausaEes and American hams and uses
them in the palace. When Admiral Evans
was at K1el he had the Emperor to break
fasty and at that time tickled his palate
NTH 6mithfeld ham. The Kaiser demanded
M .N-