The sun., 1917-09-30
Central Empires, Despite Mines in
Plenty, Face Meagre Supply Through
Lack of Man Power

'ldIl I OWCI
altern commissioned ofIicers are forces
which are likely to prove too strong
to be wthstood.
It would be unwise to attach any
Importance or to accord any credence
whatsoever to the State inspired ut
terances Of the Teuton papers. cabled
or mailed to this country and repre-
senting the Germans and the Austro-
Hungarian people as plentifully pro-
vided with food and as determined
to night to the last, convinced Of ulti-
mate victory. These newspapers do
not represent the vox populi but the
voice Of the Government. They are
dependent for their continuance, nay
for tfeir very existence. upon the
pleasure Of that Government. and it
was only the other day that the
Kaiser. probably by way Of appro-
priately celebrating the quadricenten-
nial Of Martin Luther decreed the
suppression Of the Germdntd. one Of
the most powerful and widely read Of
the great daily newspapers, and for
more than half century tie principal
organ Of the Centre. that is the
Roman Catholic parties in the i'm
perial and Prussian Parliaments and
Of the Roman Catholic third of the en-
tire population.
The Centre forms far and away the
most numerous and united party in
the Reichstag. whose support has been
sought and courted by every success
sive Chancellor as indispensable to
the enactment Of legislation. The Cen
tire favors an early peace. and that its
ofYicial organ should have been so
ruthlessly suppressed for giving eX
preston to these views cannot but
help to reinforce extensively the ranks
Of those war weary German citizens
who arc resolved to force their Kaiser
to come to terms.
That not alone the people and the
business interests but also the armies.
the Governments and the rulers Of the
Dual Empire. Of Bulgaria and Of Tur-
key are yearning for peace at any
price is well known. Throughout AUS
tra and Hungary public prayers. in
which the authorities and the men,
bers Of the reigning family. even the
Emperor and Empress, openly take
part, are being offered up for a cessa-
tion Of the war. while during the last
week the Kaiser was obliged, to hasten
all the way in person from Berlin to
Sofia in order to avert the threatened
abandonment of his cause by Bulgaria.
Cholera a. Well a. Hunger.
Just what the impending winter has
in store for Germany and for the other
Central Powers may be gathered from
the well established fact that in addi-
ton to the people being face to face
with actual starvation. without money
and without coal or oil. cholera has
now broken out in Germany, as we'll
as In certain regions OF Austria and
Hungary. Cable dispatches which have
reached America during the last week
record no less than 1000 we'll estab-
lished cases Of deaths from Asiatic
cholera in Mannheim alone, the fact
that the corpses turn black within a
very few hours OF the demise leaving
no doubt possible as to the character
Of the disease.
In Germany. In the Dual Empire, IN
Turkey and even in Bulgaria, which Is
an essentially agricultural country, the
people for a long time past have not
been able to eat to the satisfaction Of
their hunger, not even the we'll to do
and the richest classes. There Is in
New York the sister Of one Of this
city's leading foreign bonn American
bankers who as far back as a year ago
was forced to abandon her beautiful.
homo at Frankfort -on-the-M Main and to
seek refuge with her children in the
United States because. IN spite Of all
her great wealth and the influence
which its possession entailed. she was
unable to obtain a sufficiency of nour-
ishing food for her youngsters and for
herself. Now conditions are immeas-
urably worse. The present year has
been ono Of starvation in Germany.
The potato crop has been a complete