The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-29
By A. c. Roth

served by an Amerlcdn NiCe-CouSui. The author was in Germany for sew efa1 years before the war and was in charge of the United States Consulate at Plauen until MT. Gerard left Ber- lin.}
 5-A Official Germany, is riding the whirlwind. It is perilously near disas- q ter. A world of enemies without it's domains and a welter of misery with in threaten it's downfall.
 The greater menace, in my judg- ment. is the internal one The nerves of the mass of the people are on edge with suffering. They have borne the { burden of the war almost to the sut-i most capacity of their endurance. poverty. fruitless drudgery have made them desperate,
 If the U-boat fails to bring the vfomised peace it is my firm convic- ' tion that the German people will fol- low the example of theirs Russian cousins. Very, little concerniIlg actual condi- tons among the German masses has been allowed to reach the outside world. Foreign correspondents are not encouraged to make independent observations off of the beaten high- ways of military and naval efforts 9-nQ u4Su pOnttcSr t-DQtt dI6Y udIoco from true knowledge of the temper ;of the people with all the ingenuity or which German officialdom is cap. able. The German Press is held tightly in rein by the censors, and so s &ts columns glow with inspired confi-s d&ncea The smouldcring, growing Tortured discontent of the Empire has remained almost inarticulate.
 Thus it is not known outside of Germany that Liebknecht, one of the most astd.e leaders that German So- oialists had, passing his judgment up- on reports from lieutenants from all ' over the country. held that the peo+ ple were ripe for revolution early last E spring. The Liebknecht affair was ' reported as local episode in Berlin. < 1t was explained as an isolated effort to give the war-weary people a. chance to assert thenseIves It fail- ed becanse of Prussian discipline, in- 7 xr4lned within the very soul of the people The sentiment of revolt was nro&dcaat the spirit was turgid with out initiative and without plan.
 Liebknecht based his decision for lLc<ion upon a multitude of facts All Through the Empire the people had expressed a spirit of revolt in bitter. Food riots. Unwonted seditious talk could: be heard on every hand among the wage-earners in. the congested < districts. The Socialist organizations were prepared to give quiet aid to any movement which should offer a. fair promise ofssucceasn 4dz.sss. :, < ,sss.
 Dtssatisfa etion3 N issfS xFifet inss the ranks of the Saxon ar rrhies.i The wives in the ranks of the small farmers. of the mechanics, of the 1aborers wanted peace on any conditions that would bring their husbands and sons back to them again These conditions ob- taihed last spring.
 A mass of pamphlets and loose I leaves of the peace propaganda were circulated from hand to hand among, the people. Some of these were drawn up i1 very daring terms. A number Of them came to my hand through a young German socialist who had be-. sought the Consulate to issue him a 4 passport at the beginning of the war upon his declaration of an Intention to become an American citizen
 i. II shall quote. from memory, from one of these pamphlets It was circu- lated recently. and, was able to i'm form myself, 1t made q deep impress sion among the working people of my district The paragraph. which give below. In my Judgment conceals the fuse which will ultimately fire the blast of revolution: .'Wc are winning victories and bleeding to death. We are devastat- Ing ever more our neighbors' lands and dying of slow starvation We are defying the anger of the world in arms and staring ruin in the face. The physical strength of our people is ex- hausfing; the financial power of our nation is exhausting; our supplies of
  great organizations for the work of peace are slowly disintegrating. We must have peace. If our government can not procure us peace, what must we do ?''
 This thought is being anplified among the people by word of mouth. I have heard miserable lips phrase it in many ways Our enemies will never make peace wsth our govern ment." What have the French and English against us? It is our Kaiser and his friends they are ightfng.' tsrhe Kaiser and his friends and his officers stand between us ana peace'' ' ss1f ik weren't for our Kaiser and J un- kers. the English would make peace Withsus." why, should weibe hated 1? The Headers are hated; we Hufferssss
 The spreading of such a af1ains of thought among the people IS more serious element, I believe, than a score of Entente successes similar to that upon the Somme. The German lighting machine Is still in splendid condition. There are no signs that this machine is wearing down Accord / ing to every indication, it is still fully equal to its tremendous Iabors Dan gerfis not in prospect from without the wall Of trenches and naval guns. H is threatening from within, from the ranks of the Jagged, dispirited. formented people. grown su11en in their misery.
 Eesentment Throughout the Empire
 The spirit of resentment among the ~aople is not confined to any particu- lar part of Germany. It ranifies throughout the entire country, snoul- derfng wherever the poor are. It is held in check only by the best organ izcd iron regime Of all history. E
 It faces the same difficulties 4nafhe Organization and. sexpfessdo1 of it's nentfment that were faced by similar hosti1ftiess directed against the great despotisms of the ancient world. 1t hAs no press. It dare not organize out in the open.
 It may not discuss plans and griey- ances in public assemblies or in prI- vate gatherings The ceqsors, the po- lice. the private detective. and an arr