The sun., 1917-08-22

GERMAN CITIES
IN NEED OF FOOD
UndernOurished People Are
Panic Stricken-Deaths
Concealed.
PEACE PLAN DERIDED
War Industry District in Tur-
mOil as Victory Prom
ises Fail.
PEACE PLAN DERIDED
Special csbIs DespsscA to Tns suS.

SSscsdI C0oss DssDotcA to Tbs SuN.
LONDON. Aug. 21.-A wave Of pessim-
ism IL sweeping over Germany in re-
gard to the war and Its outcome. shown
clearly by comments IN Berlin news
papers which have reached here. Not
only is the Pope's peace move generally
regarded ~ . failure. but the depression
10 intensified by . fearful epidemic Of
typhoid fever. dysentery and other COM
plants attributable to insufficient and
bad food. which Is breaking out in all
parts Of the empire. 1t Is no longer
possible to conceal this. despite the ut
most efforts Of the Government.
Basle and Zurich. in Switzerland. re-
port that full confirmation has been
received Of q serious outbreak Of ty-
phoid and dysentery in numerous Ger
man cities particularly in Cologne.
Carlsruhe, Mannheim and Mulhouse,
where these diseases have become epi-
demic. children and underfed adults
being the frst and most numerous VIC
tins.
In Mulhouse the epidemic threatened
to develop into q panic. Deaths were
SO numerous that wagons were used to
dead under cover of the darkness to pre-
vent the people from learning how grave
the situation was.
These internal developments are in
fluencing German opinion much more
than the military factors even in the
westphalian industrial district, Where
war work Is centred and the greatest
efforts have been made to provide food
and other necessaries. Conditions there
are 80 bad that labor Is in constant tur-
moil and the people are greatly dis
, have been held UP by promises that
England surely would bo starved and
compelled to make peace by August.
When the Pope's proclamation was
issued the British front was the only re-
gion in which the Allies were making a
strong offensive effort. Before any diplo-
matte reply WAS sent to the Pope the
French started . new Verdun offensive
| and the italians launched their greatest
effort. both Of which produced important
| and immediate gains These military
| to the Pope.
There 10 considerable evidence that
| success has been attained by recent
| efforts Of the allied authorities to get
before thu German peopae accurate
knowledge regarding the real conditions
in England. France and the United
! States. Some weeks ago a large num-
ber of German prisoners were brought
from Flanders to London. Until their
capture they had believed that Paris
, was held by the Germans: that London
had been practically destroyed by air
raids and deserted by its inhabitants.
After they arrived in London and no
| ticed the city's normal life and its usual
| activity they wrote letters describing
what they had seen to friends at home
Whether these letters reached their
| destinations Is unknown. but the recent
development Of German pessimism Is be-
| lieved to indicate that the German pub
lie at last reali1es . part at least of the
truth. Many prisoners recently have as
| serted that the Germans were sustained
!! by the belief that although their condi-
ton was bad that Of England was far
worse.
A Vienna view Of the situation is
| given by the NicNe Freie Press, which
says:
1.-THE greatest obstacle to peace is
America. President Wilson has ordered
/ that an army Of . million men be sent
to Europe to fight Germany. The prac-
| ticability Of the plan is doubted. but q
| billion dollars in cannon. shells and pro-
visions besides soldiers from America
are assured and the faith created by this
help prolongs the life Of the Governments
hostile to peace. In sober judgment II
must be conceded that winning America
to q hostile policy. even to war against
| Germany, was a brilliant success fol
British diplomacy In fact a masterpiece
| Of diplomatic work"