The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-17
CONDITIONS N GERMANY.
COLLAPSE PREDICTED By spRISo
The Economic Condition ani tn
Sentiment OF the German PopI;a-
'lcn 1oid by n N,tivc German Who
I.ctcly left There.

arrived here from Germany nat tn
ized American who has lived in GER
nany throughout the war worked
in German seaport cities, passing for
OF BEING considered a German sub
jesl. mingIing not only with the COM
mon people. but having oc-as ona!
access To the councils OF the high
In his opinion Germany is suSrcrina
aeutsly now and dissatisfaction ami
worse reign in ccrtin strata of her
army and navy. Recent mutinous up
rlsings have had &C. be stcrnly reprcsJ,
ei and the mutineers shot. Though.-
fil 6ermany. he thinks. comprising
men OF the Ballin type, is desperately
anxious for peace and secretly anx-
iDus TO end the war before America
mas been utterly alienated.
This man left Germany early in Oc-
tobcr. because he had reason to fear
that he was going to be impressed for
military service. The German gov
crnment had refused to recognize the
Nahdity or his American naturaIiza-
tion since he failed to comply with the
law existing I'm 1919 and did not see,
the consent OF the German govern
hicnt to his step. To get out he had
TO induce the Spanish embassy to
bring pressure To bear on the German
soverninent. ON reaching Swilzcr-
land one OF his hrst steps was To seek
The Associated Press correspondent.
to whom he first proved satlsfactori!,
HIS american citizenship. then vol
unteered such Information as nc pos
sessed about Germany as the duty o.
a patriotic American citizen. Strange.
~ enough, at the very moment hc W
telling his story with details abou,
mutlnies In the German navy. the
German minister OF marine. Admira
Won capelle. was announcing the ma
val mutinies to the Rcichstag.
The economic situation i'm Ger
M any" he says. lis far worse than
anyone 90 tho outside realizes. is 90 |
critical that fer enc look for a break |
a collapse. next spripg or late In win 4
tcE Nor are the good crops that one
hears boasts about every once in ,
often solng To- change the situation
Throughout the German people
there W what amounts TO a hatred
AmerIcn. and this hatred has been
car5fuliy concentrated on President
Wilson because II Is easier To hatc 4
Inan than naticn. especially nation
Ihat is tho homo OF pretty nearly cC-
eryone's relative.
But the big men OF Germany. tn
Tnen who have to look ahead and Il
puldc the empire after the war. d,
not shate America. They feel to
'<eciIy that they need America. ard
they would ike to stem the tide OF
hats before II becomes mutual ana 4
the United States arc alienated. PEI
haps for all time.
They know that after the war
there Is only one country I'm the worl |
whefe they can get the money they
they shall need. America. and they
are worrying plenty nowadays |
They. aud all Germany. want increas-
ingiS peace that shall specify !
among other things. the right to pur-
chase raw as well as finished mater
ials anywhere I'm the world on t,1c
same terms as any other nation.
Every Indication points to prob
able conflscation OF property and re-
pudintion OF perhaps half the Wa
loan totals after the war Even the
percentage OF property TO be con
f1cated II being talked Of and !, /
seems probable that the government;
viii, take twcnty per cent. OF every /
thing.
ON the other hand IL seems pro
abIs from all hear that an even hal |
Of al outstanding war loans will b
nultfcd The seventh viii suffer ex !
actB as the first and the frs as The
seventh. Fifty per cent. will be -.
paih and the other hfty per cent viii I
either be cancelled or will merely ron /
tinbe TO pay interest--will be "a sor. I
OF perpetual investment. the capita
for which cannot b. realized. /
'As surely as anything can be pro
dicted there will be In the Central !,
Powers series of laws forbiddi ~
emigration. hnd I'm anticipation g
fhsn countless Germans today ~
iaiflng about ways and means OF sc
ting away after the war. South az g.