Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1915-01-01
IMPRESSIONS OF A SWISS
ON EUROPEAN CONFLICT
Interesting Letter from Heinrich
Bircher, a former resident Of
this Community

The following letter from Mr.
Bircher to Mr.. C. A. Wyche, is
interesting to war students in
that it presents the attitude OF
the Swiss people, a neutral
nation but close to the scene OF
conflict, to the European war.
Lots of people here have the
same opinion you stand for, in
the French part of Switzerland
of course they are all and one for
France. Napoleon himself comes
out of his tomb they say (be-
tween Il and A. M and hollers
"Vive I Angleterre'.
I'VE don't feel the war very
had 50 far. Business is improv-
ing as we can manufacture lots
of things for France and Ger
MANY and for our own army, but
the future for our Hotel business
is not bright.
"The country and the towns
will have tremendous debts after
this war. 1t will cost us ABOUT
one million francs a day to keep
up an army and besides we have
to feed the families ofithe soldiers
Il don't think the Germans
are licked. Their armies are IN
France and in Russia, it IS very
hard for them to fight on two
fronts but SO far they have had
nearly all the advantages.
Myself | do hope they Will
lick them in the end but 1t is
doubtful.
"You must not forget that
German Militarism makes good
workers out CT the people.
Their industrial development
-
went hand in hand with Prus-
sian Militarism, this is fact.
AT present you can not make
a single one of them believe you
are not against them because
they are Germans, but you are
against their system only. 1t is
really wonderful how they stick
together, rich and poor, farmers
, and savants.
1--WE are not so very sorry lof
Belgium. If they had put up q
decent army the Germans never
4 would have entered their country
If you neglect your army anc
T feed thousands of monks anC
nuns instead, you must take
things as they come. | DO hopt
r the Germans will have to pay
n Belgium later on but it vii
e never make good what the poo
h people suffered for a rottel
government.
: THE young king of Belgium
did all he could to reform Bel
gium but it is only a short Will
since his uncle died and ne lie
the clericals do as they pleased a
$ long sa they let him have his par
Of the loot.
= LAS you say it is not so eas
r. to break through Switzerland
but in the beginning we full
expected the Frenchmen to tr
, it, because they cannot rush tn
: strong fortifcations ont Rhine
If we have escaped so far, "
4, owe it to the army, nobody like
K to have another half milIio
enemies, and because in all coul
t. tries the democratic parties al
n our friends.
While they are killing ea(
. other by the hundreds of thou
- ands, our army made manoeuve
:. like in time of peace. They ha'
- learned a good deal in fo
" months and we think they sh;
be able to resist any standil
lr. army. On the frontier again
ID Alsace they sometimes can wat
m the fighting; one day the &c
no mans landed several shells
ay Switzerland. nd......,
m IF France and Russia C
Z. stand it long enough, German
certainly will have trouble to
raw materials. They are alrea
9 short of cotton, all our spinnt
-. = and nearly all of the ltali
'' manufacturers work for
Germans. .....I know for cert
A 4 L 4 a