Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-17

America might possibly play in 1t. and
they knew that il America perceived
their real motives she might play q
part in it to their detriment.
Motives of the Germans
These men based their confidence that
Americas entrance would not prove dis
% To win Americas confidence in
Germany's amity and honesty Of inten-
ton.
(2) To educate German-American SEN
timent into a useful ally. To do this
they decided on the organization known
as Der Deutsche Schulverein. an in
Notwithstanding name for very sinister
institution.
CD To win the war before Americs
woke up to their intentiols-a grandioss
the world and on a. deep-rooted faith
in the inertia and stupidity of democ-
racies.
When. after the lapse Of nearly a year
the German government realized that
the sympathies of America were ire
trivably lost. they comforted themselves
with the thought that America would
be paralyzed by internal dissension until
1t would no longer be dangerous.
The press told the Germans this and
the Germans believed it. The German
newspapers were inclined to become In
sulting, both toward America and toward
its President, but about Christmas. 1916
George Bernhard, editorial writer for the
the knuckles from the government FOL
speaking dtsrespectfully of the Presi.
dent. and in the next article he changed
his tone completely.
Feeling Against America.
Amcrg the educated classes in the
clubs and at the university at this time
one could hear the opinion freely ex-
pressed that the Americans were dol
lar hunters: that their government
made individualists; that America itsel1
was not a state, but merely a hodge
podge of communities without common
ideals or community and national pur-
that such a people should presume to
meddle in European affairs. which they
were quite incapable of understanding
It was a common thing to hear people
say they hated America even more thar
England.
An English lady in Berlin married
to a German was asked at dinner las,
winter whether she was American
NO. am English she said.
Then 1 don't mind sitting near you.
you'd been an American I should have
felt inclined to push my chair farther
away"
Expected War to End in August.
Not long after Americas declaration
of war a man high in the service OF
the state told a medical friend of
mine he firmly believed the war would
be over by August, 1917, before Amer
lea had a chance to do anything. He
gave three reasons: First. that the
British losses on the Somme had been
SO heavy that England must soon see
the uselessness of continuing: second
the submarines; third, the belief COM
monty entertained among the Berlin
people that today there is nothing Eng
land breads more than that America
should interfere and claim an authori-
tative voice in settling affairs at the
end of war.
They concluded that England. to
avoid this contingency. would try to
make peace before America had time to
take a really active part in the war
1t seems too absurd for words, but that
is at present a commonly stated opin-
ion.
One even hears people say 1t is rather
to Germany's advantage than other
wise that America should come 1t, be-
cause Americas presence among the
enemies Is an excellent guarantee that
a good war indemnity will be forth
coming. They sometimes doubted
whether England would really be able
to pay when the collapse came.
means Ruin for U.s."
The only people with a sane outlook
in Germany in this matter are to be
found In banking, financial and indus
trial circles. The manager Of one of the
branches Of the Dresden Bank said in
my presence to an officers wife, just
after Americas declaration of war:
What hope can we have of winning
the war so long as we have a govern
ment capable of making such fatal
mistake as this? 1t means nothing
more nor less than ruin for u.s."
The officials Of the Deutsche Bank
with whom I came in contact were
practically of the same opinion and
were very downcast.
In the Berliner Tageblatt. Maximilian
Harden and a little group of interna-
tional socialists share this view and
regard 1t as madness on the part of the
government to have entered willingly
into conflict with a country Of such vast
resources as America
AS for the masses of the people, they
are quiet. unperturbed by the Presi-
dents decision. They declare with quiet
conviction that America can do no more
harm to Germany than she already had
been doing. They say America has al
ready reached the highest point in her
production and could not in
TConfinued IN Seventh PaCe