Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-05-19
RIDICULOUS STORIES CIRCULATED BY
ALLIES AS T0.C0ND|T|0NS IN GERMANY
Count de Beaufort Gives Impressions Gained During Trip Through
the Kaisers DomnionsNot the Least Sign Of Approach
ing Famine-Peope United in Sentiment Regarding the H.
War-Beieve Country Was Forced Into Conflict
BY COUNT mouRIk De BEAUFORT.
md s. international News service.) a..

BY COUNT MoURIk De BEAUFORT.
Z international News service.) q. j
/ (The writer, who Is we'll known IN
America, was enormously reported killed
in France several weeks ago. He has Just
the following account OF some Of his Inn
Beriin.-It does not take long after
), arriving in Germany to find out that
the absurd stories circulating in Eng.
land and France as to the real condi-
tons in Germany are just about as
ridiculous ~ the tales the German
public is fed with as to the real state
Of affairs in the enemy's countries.
IA. have spent the last three months
in various parts of Germany. At no
time have l seen the very least sign
of an approaching famine. l have
eaten there just as well and as cheap
~ a. in England. %j..
II The institution Of the bread ticket
was mainly designed to stop the vast
age Of bread, and it has fully an
swered Its purpose. CUR, >... !:
Each person receives q ticket Civ
/ ing him the right to, buy $50 grams of
bread day. found it more than l
needed. r. d. I55l ~ CSC ,6t.-,.s. Z :.
The taste of the bread differed great
" in various places. In some parts,
where It was supposed to contain 80
per cent Of potato -four. it tasted as
III It had 80 per cent; again, else
where, notably in Munich and; all over
Bavaria and in East Prussia. / found
the bread very tasty. 5s5. \ \
have been assured on every side
that they will manage until the next
harvest. which. from all signs. is going
to be . very successful one. Then
they viii prepare for the next, and
there will not be many square feet Of
land in Germany left uncultivated.
n II the allies depend for success upon
starving out Germany, fear it will
be q long, long way to victory.I.1 do
not think It can be done.
Then the Germans are supposed to
be In difficulties owing to the shortage
Of men. Well. when i was In Munich
on the kaiser's birthday, January 81,
$4,000 troops took part in the parade.
and from what have been able to-
learn from various consuls, it was the
same in other cities. y
Was Forced Into War. 9r It..
Berlin today contains more soldiers
than In peace time. They may not be
as smart; they may not do the pa
radeschritt" as scientifically as before,
but the raw material is good. have
seen very few soldiers more than
about thirty-five years Of age. More
over. there are good many men be-
tween twenty and forty who, though
registered, have not been called, and
1T the present rate. OF enlistment the
supply will last q great many months.
It Is unwtse to trust the third sup
posed cause Of Germany's downfall,
viz, the discomfort Of the people when
they know the real state OF affairs I
have talked to hundreds OF people,
representing all classes, from the high
est to the lowest, and I have come to
the conclusion that there Is today in
Germany not one man In q thousand
who is not absolutely convinced that
Germany was forced into this war.
They say that other countries no
tably England-were jealous Of Ger
many's progress. and that she ID fight
ing for hearth and home. With the
exception Of the diplomats. the Ger
man has absolute confidence in his Of
.flcials and superiors. Is. Ss1
n Respect for authority" an Ameri.
can girl In Munich. who has married
Z Bavarian officer. said to me. lis max.
ing this country stronger. than any
other militarism.5 Ask any Of them
they don't want to do without their
service in the army. Every man will
tell you he came out Of the service q
better man than he went in. Yes, the
authorities think for the individual,
but they think 1t for his best. :"
~ It will never occur to German that
he may be wrong, that his loyalty. his
life and the lives of his dear ones are
being sacrificed to q wrong cause.
Nothing, not all the exposures, de-
fests and harS1ships In the world. will
make him chak his mind. From the
cradle, where hls mother sang him to
sleep with lullalt les telling Of great
battles, and Of the hero's death on the
field OF honor, the German becomes
imbued with the spirit that places
personal considerations second to
those of the kaiser and fatherland.
Z / had long talk one day with Herr
Sassenbach, secretary Of the trade
unionists' headquarters in Berlin, an
organization, which has sent over
100000 men into the field. Herr Sas:
senbach is the Social Democratic al
derman or city councillor Of Greater
Berlin. During the course of the con-
versation, at which Professor Francke.
head Of the bureau for social politics,
was present, suggested that It might
after all be blessing in disguise for
the German laborer If Germany, were
to be beaten. and thereby be relieved
of the yoke of militarism.
sss / was venturing on dangerous
ground. Sassenbach started to an
swer. but the professor cut him short.
telling him under his breath, Let me
answer him Il 81 NJ
fss ~ ArsS Not Going to Lose.
Quite excited and evidently an
noyed, he exclaimed:
"Sir, II you want to make yourself
thoroughly unpopular here and your
mission to be an entire failure; If you
want to make people shut up like a
RIDES IN JITNEY AS MAN
vuom.n Runs $Afoul Of the 1 aw and