The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-05
MAY SEEK TO EFFECT
 PEACE WITH J. s.
Hints He May Be Made German Foreign
 Secretary. ,.

manys war managers are playing their shrewdest publicity game since the war began for the purpose of causing a relaxation of Americas | war preparations, or Germany is ac- tually beset by the worst internal dis sensions any belligerent has been compelled to deal with in that time. Private advices from sources which appeared to be most authentic em- phasized the seriousness of this situ- ation in Germany and Austria and l carried the broad hint that one solu- l tion may be the appointment of Count
 Johann von Bernstoff, late German Ambassador to America, as successor | to Foreign Secretary, Alfred Zimmer-
 mann.
 The appointment would be with the specific idea that Bernstoff should at tempt a reconciliation with the United Saes
 The fact that such information came l through seemingly authentic chan 1 nels and was accompanied by vast I amount of other reports of dissen- 1 sions permits two conclusions. One | is that Germany is actually sorely | tried. The other Is that she Is playing | a deep game, the dea being to Hull America into belief that dissolution of Germany may be near, that influ-
 ences in the empire indicate no neces-
 sity for much war preparation. Such I a move would be in line with other I plays for time'' which Germany has
 regularly practised.
 1 The news received here from Ger
 many indicates near approach of 8
 crisis in the Central Empires. The
 news may summarized as follows: Bad feeling is growing between
 Prussia and Austria, Emperor Charles
 is spurred to friction with Germany l by Hungary'S open discontent. Hun gary's ruling classes are said to be l fearful of anarchy unless some hope
 of peace is shown to her people. | Persistent reports reach here that
 there is a growing feeling in Germany | that the submarine warfare has not been productive of the results antici- pated. The city of Hamburg, with it's vast shipping industries, is said now to be approving the course of he
 Foreign Office in opposing the subma-
 rine war at the time that ruth1essness
 was first agitated. Its approval was based on belief that such course had
 only succeeded in increasing the in- demnities which Germany must later Ipay and in drawing America into the conflict. Germany's commercial prospects,, it was held, have been in- 5ured for years to come.
 Retention of the Belgian city of
 Antwerp by Germany by Germany is fanother thing feared by Hamburg,
 resulting in the we'll defined demand by shipping industries that there be
 no annexation of territory by Ger Imany-and moreover, that Germany l so announce right now.
 ! Since revelation of the Zirnmer- mann scheme to align Mexico and
 Japan with Germany against the United States opposition to the For
 eign Minister has increased. Liberals
 are still ostensibly supporting him,
 however, probably because he is the only non-junker in office in Germany. 1 On the other hand, proponents of
 Bernstoff point out that his complete familiarity with America and Ameri- leans is something for which there is desperate need in the Foreign office. | Moreover, it is held Bernstoff might very effectively work for adjustment
 of Americas quarrel with Germany. I German officials are now said to
 realize how completely they were wrong in estimating America. The hardest blow of all comes in their
 realization that America intends to fight real and not a paper war. No. official thought she would actu-
 ally fight. Zimmerman is blamed l for not having known that America
 would go the limit. Bernstoff is fig
 ured as likely to correct this mistake by restoring German-American rela- tions.
 But not alone in actual war strength is America beginning to be feared in Germany. The war chiefs are apprehensive that the great weight of American democracy thrown into the balance against Ger many may result in vast strengthen ing of the democratic peace move is already being exerted from America on Hungary.
 There are other reports which some way or other elude the censor and turn up here as evidence of dissen-
 sion in the Central Empires The lregularity with which they arrive in the fact of the most stringent censor
 ship Germany has ever had in force
 may possibly indicate deliberate cir
 culation of such reports by the gov
 ernment. Or it may show such an Ii accumulation of dissension that even a steel. bound censorship cannot con-
 ceal them.
 MALNT> DRACDECC