The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-02
WAVE OF DEPRESSION ENVELOPS GERMANY Absolute Faith in Ultimate
 Victory Subsidies
 TRIBUTE TO ENEMIES Berlin Paper Points Out Where Mis-
TRIBUTE TO ENEMIES
Berlin Paper Points Out Where Mis- calculations in Computing Strength of Allies Before War-Evidence
 That Teutons Planned Conflict
By FREDERICK WERNER

By FREDERICK WERNER
 Berlin. April 4.-(Specal.)-A wave oi depression, which makes the announce. ment of a German success somewhere almost necessity, is passing over Inc German people finding expression even in the strongly patriotic part of the press The absolute faith in ultimate German victory has at least temporarily subs,ded
 The conservative Berlin paper, Der Tag writes that Germany is now paying oeary for the lack of foresight and lln- derestmation of the enemy on the part of German diplomatic representatives abroad and statemen at home.
 We have made serious mscalcuations everywhere the paper says. "We eX- pected that all India would rise in open rebellion at the first sound of the guns of Europe. and now thousands and ten thousands of Indians are fighting vita the English against us We expected to sec the dsintegraton of the British err pre, but the British colonies have come to the assistance Of the mother country in a way they have never done before. We expected a successful uprising n, British South Africa and have seen noth- ing but fiasco. We expected disorders in Ireland, and instead Ireland has s=nt some of her best men against us We believed that the peace at any price party was all powerful in England, but IL has disappeared in the general entla- siasm over the against Germany. We supposed that England was degenerate and unfit to become an important factor Tn the war, and she shows herself our most dangerous enemy.
 It was just the same with Russia and France. We thought that France was corrupt and had lost the sense of national sondarlty and we now find the French 10 be formidable enemies We thought tfat Russia could do nothing, we consid : cred the Russian people too deeply dissat- ished to fight for the Russian government We counted on her disappearance as a great military power. But Russia las mobilized her millions very quickly and very well, her people are enthusias stic ard Ter strength is crushing
 nose who have led us to commit these errors and miscalculations, who have caused us to despise our neighbors, have taken upon themselves terrible burden Of responsibility"
 The koelnische Zeitupg strikes a d,fear. ent tone, but the subject it discusses.- What will happen if Germany does net Win -ls in itself not a very exnilaratiny cne though the conclusions drawn arr. full of optimism.
 Even If miracle happened and Eng land were able to impose her own terms upon Germany, it would not matter as much as might be expected, for we Gnr- mans are Intellectually so immeasura hly suparior to the English that the latter .an never conquer the German spirit. In science. for instance, Germany Is at least century ahead of England.
 Want to Discuss Peace Openly
 f1ve great German societies of farmers recently handed a petition to the Reich stag asking that permission be given the German people who willingly bear tee nurueh oi the war to discuss peace condI- tions openly.
 This behavior has been scathingly crit aclzed by II. Non Gerlach, the we'll known eoltor of Die Welt am Montag who main tained that if the Reichstag granted this permission it would show lack of conf uence in Chancellor von Bethmann- Hoi. veg.
 "Of course l do not know how .he Reichstag win treat this latest attack upon the chancellor, but there is reason 10 rear that majority in the Reichstau r might be won over, for behind the five or ganlzations stand very considerable parts of the 'buergerliche' parties and the so- a phrase, Tree discussion take up a posi- tion which would add strength to the de fIre or the Pangerman party to force the chancellor out of office'
 Tn political circles here 1t is considered quite significant that influential French ana English papers simultaneously have hlnted In the most cautious manner oe course, that Germany might get back her colonies by giving up Belgium
 Anefe IS a growing belief that when tne British commander-in-ch General French, recently told a representative of the Havas agency he did not think tae war would last long, he spoke more truth fully than he knew
 The belief that Germany ts stiI ab,o to win decisive victory over the allies has almost completely disappeared am ne me more intelligent part of the German peopie. But all are convinced that dur Ing the next two months Germany will pc aoie to place as many new troops in Nhe field as the allies or al least a suf Gciert number to prevent these from non. efrating into Germany. This will mean an indefinite continuation of the present staRnation
 Tn other words, both sidey will come 10 the conclusion that to 70 on would mean absolute ruin of all Eurone Tc speak or conditions in Germany, the cost of the war will very soon nave teached height demanding that Ger many taxpayers be burdened with an efnnual expense of two billion marks merely to pay interest and amortizo- Alon or the debt of war and pensions 9hls would be q very heavy burden even If Germany were prosperous but 1T is simply impossible when the com, merce and industry of the country are paralyzed.
 Some Still Blind
 There are of course still German pa- tory is certain and that she must not tories now occupied
 The Deutsche Tageszeitung writes: "It is a vital question with Germany to remove Belgium forever from the Influence of France and England for England, whenever she wanted would from all ocean routes and the Ger man colonies would be of no value whatever. If England were to take possession of Belgium's coast she could easily bottle up the German navy"
 The Kreuz Zeitung writes in the same spirit: "The re-establishment of ate condition even worse than that has indeed in the past always placed France and should she in the future two countries she would become our try to save the appearances of neu-