The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-10-26
GERMANY'S RUIN.

Whatever the outcome Of the present
world war, Germany. from an indus
trial and commercial point OF view,
is ruined. Never again, at least within
the lives of the present generation,
can its former industrial and COM
mercial prestige and prosperity be
regained, and the German people have
their kaiser and his military crowd of
advisors to thank for the conditions
they will be called upon to face.
Before the war the world depended
,ipon Germany for many articles of
commerce entering into common use
in which its manufactures specialized
ana had so perfected that competition
seemed impossible. Indeed, other
countries made no attempt at prOiuc'
ton and competition, and hence Ger
many enjoyed monopoly. When the
war cut off the supply Of German pro-
ducts, America, and other countries,
turned attention to those special pro-
ducts. and have succeeded in produce
ing substitutes that are becoming, with
experiment and experience, equal in
quality to the German made articles
The countries in which these new in
dustries have been established are
sure to protect them against German
competition after the war, and hence
Germany will find the old markets
closed to them forever.
Not only have substitution taken the
place of those things that we formerly
depended upon Germany to supply, bu,
the people of America, England,
France, Italy and other nations that
have suffered from the cruel and
heartless warfare carried on by Ger
many can never forget that system of
barbarism, and will never consent to
patronize such barbarians. A German
trade mark on any article will mean
that that article is taboo. Already we
have heard scores upon scores of peo-
pie, even in the limited area that we
have visited, declare firmly and en-
phatically, and we can add, profane-
ly, because profanity is excusable
when the word German, blotted with
undreamed of crimes, is uttered, that
they will go without until the crack of
doom before buying anything manu-
featured in, or coming from Germany.
An instance illustrating the bitter
and deep rooted feeling came to our at
tention during the past week, A travel
er for hardware house, who covers a
large territory, stated that he found
that sentiment boycotting German
made goods prevailing everywhere. AT
one city he visited one of his patrons
was anxious to procure particular
kind of small manicure scissors. AS
his house had formerly depended upon
a German factory for this article,
the supply had run out and he had but
one pair left. and he informed his GUS
toner that he was welcome to that
pair. 1t was casually mentioned, as
the dealer accepted the gift, that the
scissors were made in Germany, the
last pair the house had in stock. Had
the piece of metal been red hot the
dealer could not have thrown 1t down
more suddenly, declaring that under
no circumstances would he own an
article made in Germany If he had to
do without for all time.
And that is the sentiment prevailing
among an overwhelming majority OF
Americans, feeling that will grow
more bitter as the war proceeds and
the lives of Americans are sacrificed
and with such a sentiment prevailing
all over the world, the commercial fu-
ture of Germany is dark indeed.