The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-19
my -Four Years In Germany"
Ambassador Gerord's Experiences at German Court
Until Entrance of The United States Into
The Great War
Dye Industry Upset BY the Wa-Oher
Lines of Manufacture Meet Similar Fate
as Hoshhties We're Begun
The Great Wdr

vince this gentleman that cyanide suf'
ficient to supply all the British mines
was manufactured near Glasgow. Scot
land He then reluctantly gave a per
NIT for the export of thousand tons
of cyanide, and its arrival in the Uni
| ted States permitted many mines there
and In Mexico to continue operations
and saved many persons from being
, thrown out of employment When
Delbruck finally gave q permit for the
export OF 1000 tons more OF cyanide
the / psychological moment had passed
and we could not obtain through our
state department q pass from the
British
am convinced that Deibruck made
great tactical mistake on behalf OF
the German government when he I'm
posed this prohibition against sxpor.
of goods to America. Many manufac-
| turers OF textiles, the users OF dye
stufTs, medicines, seeds and chemicals
in all forms were clarnoring for GER
tain goods and chemicals from Ger
many. But II was the prohibition
against export of the Germans which
prevented their receiving these goods
If II had bean the British blockade
aEone cry might have arisen in the
United States against this blockade
which might have materially changed
the international situation.
The Germans also refused permits
sion FOR the export of potash from
Germany. They hoped thereby TO In
euce the United States to break the
British blockade and offered cargoes
of potash in exchange for cargoes OF
cotton or cargoes OF fodstuffs. The
Germans claimed that potash was
TlsAS n Is ~
and that. therefore In no event would
they permit the export unless the pot
Ssh was consigned to the Amer lean
government, with guarantees against
its use except IN the manufacture OF
tert1izsr, this to be checked up by
Germans appointed as inspectors
All these egotiations, however, fell
through; no potash has been exported
from Germany to the United States
since the commencement Of the war
Enough potash. however, is obtained
In the United States for munitton
purposes from the burning of sea
weed on the Pacific coast. from the
brinea In lake In Southern Califor-
MIA and from a rock called a1untte In
Utah Potash is also obtaInasle from
felespar. but | do not know whethe or
any plant has been esta blished fer Its
production from this rock I recently
heard Of the arrival OF some potash
from a newly discovered field In Bra
gil. and there have been runaors al
IT'S discovery IN spain. I do not know
how good this Spanish and Brazilian
potash is. and ] suppose the German
potash syndicate viii Immediately en-
deavor 10 control these fields In order
70 hold the potash trade Of the world
IN it's grasp.
II was a long time after the com
m en cement OF the war before Eng
land declared cotton n contraband
I thirlk II was because Of the fear OF
irritating the United States. but in the
meantime Germany secured a great
quantity ~ cotton. which, Of course,
wac used or stored for the rnanufac-
tare Of powder. Since the cotton I'm
ports have been cut OF the Germans
assert that they are manufacturing a
powder equally good BY using wood
pulp. OF course. I have not been able
70 verify this absolutely
assts Fss-4 y ~ ss>sst.sIas KEPT
OUT or GERMANY
Germany had endeayored before the
~nr IN every way to keep American
goods out Of the German mark cts.
ard even the PrussfRn state railways
are used, as I have shown in the arti-
Gle where l speak OF the attempt 10
asta biish an oil monopoly in Germany.
In ORDER to discriminate against Amer
lean mineral oils. This same method
has been applied to other articles.
such az food. which otherwise might
be imported from America. and In
some cases regulations as to the In
spectSon Of meat, etc, have proved
more eTeottve in keeping American
goods out OF the market than n pro-
hihttive tariff
The meat regulation In that each In
dividual package OF meat must he
opened and inspected and, Of course,
when a sausage had been individually
made to sit up and bark no one de-
sires II as an article or food there
after. American apples we're also dis
eliminated against in the custom reg
ulations Of Germany. Nor could /
induce the German government to
change the tariff on canned salmon,
sn article which would prove well
come addition 10 the German diet.
Tho German worktrgman, undou ht .
eddy the most exploited and fooled
workingaan In the world. is com
PEELED not only to work for dow wages
and long hours, hut to purchase his
food at rates fxed by the German
tariff made for the benefit OF the
Prusstan tunkers and landholders.