The Washington times., 1917-04-26
EUROPE FRIGHTENED
BY FAMINE PANIC
All Nations Feel Pinch of Hun
ger as Food Supply Be-
comes Low.

LONDON, April 26-All Europe has
become panloky about food this week.
Germany Is most scared among the
combatants. but Spain and the Scandi-
navian countries are only less agitated.
The whole continent has suddenly been
aroused to the realization that starva-
ton Is possible long before e military
decision can be reached.
The government inspired German
press Is holding out assurances that
England Is on the verge Of starvation
and il certain to collapse for want Of
food In a few weeks regardless Of mill
tary conditions. The German general
stan Is issuing the most preposterous
misstatemsnts regarding the military
situation to convince the people that
military conditions are OF secondary
Importance and England Is nearer star
walton than Germany.
Misleading German People.
In both regards the German gov
ernment is misleading tho people.
England faces the necessity Of holding
out until the new crop Is harvested,
after which she will get .long res
pite because the interned German
ships and new ships will become the
dominant factor In the transport sit
uation. insuring Great Britain's
ability to stick 1t out another year,
whereas Germany will gain only
brief respite from the new crop and
confronts an increasingly serious
military situation.
Naua-4haIa.a Rrffafp fa uaf-
ting a much needed scare about the
food situation. Great Britain and
France are moving heaven and earth
to show such a military preponder-
ance as will overcome German conf
dence based on the success OF the
submarine campaign.
Europe never saw a more desperate
condition in all its history, for the
armies are plainly able to continue
lighting indefinitely and both sides
are determined to do 1t even II the
people suffer privation. One OF the
foremost British publicists said today
that the wars end is invisible and
is certainly years ahead. The nations
are only beginning to realize the hor-
rors in store and the impossibility of
ending the struggle before whole pop
ulations are borne down by hunger.
NeutraIs Must Suffer.
Spain and Scandinavia confront a
black prospect because their economic
resources are less able to cope with
the conditions, and the United States
must henceforth cooperate with the
allies, depriving the neutral countries
OF supplies so that Great Britain and
France can be fed first.
1t is impossible to overstate the ne
cessity for American cooperation
with the allies in instant and prac-
tical measures to fight the subma-
rines with small vessels of all de-
scriptions capable of mine sweeping,
etc. Germany and Eng
land are now blockading each other. |
At whatever cost America must find !
means to keep the allies fed until |
autumn and then contribute all |
possible aid toward supplementing |
home grown foodstuffs. |
With this help the allies will win, |
because once the crisis OF the next |
four months is past they can out
last Germany beyond a doubt.
Swiss advices declare that despite |
efforts to suppress the truth the Ger |
man public is learning OF the recent |
military disasters and depression is |
daily, accentuated by the |
and mental effects Of hunger. |
the desperate German |
autocracy does not think of quitting |
while its armies are intact, and Ger |
many is threatening to starve allied |
prisoners OF war whenever the food |
shortage makes 1t impossible to feed |
them.