New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-19
The Beginning of the Campaign.
GERMANY'S FUTURE
When Will She Awake to Her Be
travail by Her Military Caste?

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Your editorial in to-day's Issue on
Hollands Neutrality" forces one to ask the
question as to how much longer she will re-
main on the fence. Self-interest from a COM
mercial standpoint like that of the Scandina-
vians is, perhaps, the main factor in her
neutrality. Added to this are the quiet
threats that have been made to her, Bel
GUM being the example of a nation daring
to oppose German aggression.
Holland, whether Germany wins or loses,
will suffer As you observe, with Antwerp IN
German hands the Scheldt will pass away
from her control, and victorious Germany will
allow no such nation as Holland to dictate
to her and place restraint upon her shipping.
But Germany will not and can not win, for
the most simple reason that there is too
great force arrayed against her, that force
being of the enduring kind
The Teuton strength is alone on land, and
this, as each month passes, is slowly but
surely wearing down. 1t is true that up
to now no part of her country is occupied by
alien forces, and this gives false satisfaction
to most Germans, who repeatedly say: Look!
after years fighting there is not foreign
soldier in Germany excepting prisoners"
But they lose sight of the important fact that
the Teutcns failed In their first great initial
effort when, after many years OF planning
and careful preparation in every detail, they
were unable to reach Paris with army of
forty-four army corps, the whole force
amounting to 100000 men. And, mind you,
this was before either France or Great
Britain was prepared and Ita,y had not
thown in her lot with the Entente Allies.
No true estimate of the losses Germany has
undergone in the last year can be had, as no
reliance can be placed any more on her word.
Whether it be 100000 or 100000 matters
very little She is slowly bleeding TO death
on the fields of battle and finance, and when
the present loan she is undertaking has con-
sumed the savings of the German people they
will then begin to awaken TO the fact Of
how basey they have been betrayed by those
in whom they so blindly and implicitly
placed their faith, viz, the military party.
Their naval aspirations from the beginning
Of the war have proved a failure. They have
lost all their colonies, their shipping and an
annual trade Of $4,000 900 900, and the chance
is that when the war is finished only a small
percentage of that huge sum will ever be re-
gained, and yet the mass Of the German peo-
pie do rot realize all this Their attention is
being diverted from themselves by the news
OF great Russian victories, submarine destruc-
tons and fendish raids Of their cruel and
sinister Zeppelins. and beyond the moral
effect produced on German minds-for what
intimidates a German causes little fear to
other people mas been gained
This is always the case with those nations
subject to military despotsm. The German
Emperor some few years back, in addressing
his troops, warned them against want OF
loyalty to his person. telling them the day
might come when, perhaps, they would be
called upon to shoot down their own people.
Had he then in mind that time which is fast
approaching. for surely the days OF Ger
Imany's awakening cannot be far off Then