The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1917-06-19
DIVIDED As To STRENGTH
or THE UNITED STATES

-
A report from Begiln a day or
two aso was 20 the effect hat a GER
tain element In Germany cherished
the belief that America Is negligible
In a military way and that our par
tieipation In the European war will
not have any great effect IN tho
situation. These believers. however.
do no, constitute q majority OF the
German people. The country Is. In
fact. divided into three parts on the
question, an optimistic majority who
cherish the belief that America 10
negligible In a military way; the broad
masses who are too busy thinking
about food to worry one way or the
other about America, and a small
majority who soberly are striving to
face the facts as far as information
Is available and who incline. 10 any
thing. 10 sound a slightly pessimIstic
note.
These last are. generally, the beaten
AVC1 % HlAAiItAAIn uttf1 hAE .
whose argument was the i'm
peratlveness OF preventing Americas
entry into the war. They are cense-
a%uentiy in a position OF saying. II told
you 90" AZ Il becomes more and
more apparent in Germany that
Americas participation will be by no
means piatonic IL the war lasts long
enough.
Typical OF this small band. whose
warning voices are sim heard mostly
in the democratic press. rs Captain
Persius. the T~ageblatts naval critic.
who always has stuck 10 his opinion
that unlimited submarine war was
not worth Americas enmity. In one
OF a series ~ articles on Americas
war preparations. IN which he has
taken issue with the optimistic Ger
mar ciement. he y
Opinions regarding Americas par
tlcipatlon vary very considerably.
whereas the first represent 81 az very
negligible. others believe. eve quite
apart from lhe military side. that
Americas entry mus oe regarded as
a heavy fighting factor. This last Is
also our view. Those who regard
Americas entry as negligible are the
same oncs who regarded all of Presi-
dent Wilson's war threats as unim-
portant attempts at coercion. The
have proven false prophets. and
therefore TO avoid further receptions
one must not accept their estimate Of
Americas energy m power.
After remarking that the Wash
ington governments determination 10
send large bodies OF troops to Eu-
rope was By man among ~ passed
overwith a smile. and that current
opinion WA that the transportation OF
large masses of troops would sncoun-
ter difficulties Persius analyses the
problem OF transporting The American
army 10 Europe and reaches the con
and Austro- Hungarian ships in Amer
lea would more than suffice TO trans
port an army Of 1886 in one trip,
besides Americas merchant ships"
Persius concluded; must point
out that Il Is better nOt TO underra'e
Americas energy in the matter oi
building new merchant ships. Whether
wooden or iron makes no difference
as long as new tonnage Is created for
ti.S entente. In any event We shouldn't
forget that the American is a smart
business mar and he won pass no
u chance 10 make money. And II was
always the %prerogative OF the energy
and elasticity % Americans 20 make
the impossible possible. At the be-
ginning OF the wal IL was considered
q good tuno TO trumpet 60 an the woi q
the imposslbility OF the Engiish maxi
ing themselves military useful"
Persius warns agains, making the
same mistake about America as "A mil
itary fGctor. though ito he sure let us
hope that Americas war preparations
have no influence on the progress 81
the great struggle, because, before
Americans can help, Europe may al
ready have shaken hands across the
peace conference table.
uuE .usrvrS