The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-18
DO NOT FANCY
ENEMY INCREASE

Zurich, Switzerland. - Thoughtful
persons in Germany and Austria
Hungary are beginning to experience
concern at the increasing number OF
their enemies. At first when these
small and comparatively insignif-
cant states in Central America and
the Far East declared war against
Germany the German press made
light Of the whole matter. treating
1t as a subject for feeble witticisms
and sarcastic comments, as to the
new enemy's military strength. But
even then few people who saw
further than the chauvinist news
papers, warned the public Of the lat
ef disaEreeable results which might
arise from the entry into the war OF
these apparently triflihg foes.
Influence Felt.
Even though they. were without
military importance and could send
neither troops to fight against the
cantral powers in Europe. nor war
s@Ips to attack and destroy German
submarines, from the industrial and
commercial side their influence, it
Was pointed out, was considerable.
II IL must be remembered too that
AL these additional foes will have to
he reckoned with when peace nego-
tia9ions begin, each Of them rep
resenting one or more votes against
the central powers AS time goes on
the number of neutrals is fast dim
ihishing-one state after another
coming into the field against Ger
many. 1t is estimated already that
the entente countries and their sup
popters include something like $780,
100000 people against the 10000, 900
ofsthe central powers and their allies.
a proportion Of 1876. to Livery dis
agreeable odds.
Austria Least Affected.
Austria, perhaps because 1t - less
Immediately affected--most of the
recent declarations of war having
been directed primarily against Ger
msny-seems to realize much more
than Germany the dangers and ulti-
mate injuries likely to arise from
this steady increase in the numbers
of the foe. Neutrals arriving In
Switzerland from Vienna say that
the people there were tremendously
affected by the entry Of America into
the war. They did not, as so many
Germans did, express contempt for
the new foe. They were quite aware
that 1t might be long time before
Americas military forces could
reach Europe in sufficient strength
to exert any great influence on the
battlefield. But they realized much
more the moral, financial and indus
trial forces which Americas action
represented. Conservative business
men in both Germany and Austria
had long hoped that, come what
might, Germany would never pro-
veke America to war, as when peace
came, the United States would have
been the only great wealthy nation
left, which could begin to satisfy
Germany's intense needs for money
and raw materials. Nowhere else
could Germany hope or expect TO
get the assistance so tmperattvely
necessary for the establishment
of her position as a world nation.
They have not yet recovered from
the shock If Americas determined
attion and do not hide their APP
ul'khensions that this will probably
prove the Knockout blow for them
in the whole world war.
No Grounds For Action. .
Another thing which irritates and
secretly worries the Germans great
~ is that, in declaring war against
them. countries like China and Siam,
for instance, had really no specific
gFeunds for such action. There are,
no conflicting interests at . stake.
hardly any points of contact, indeed,
between these countries where the
least friction could be occasioned.
Hence the central powers are forced
to see that the diplomatic influence
Ofl5the entente is much more power
fpl than their own-and also they
cannot help feeling that these far
distant countries must have con-
d1tAded that the final victory would
certainly be with the entente, other
wise they would never have gone to
that side.
oY Foreign Trade to Suffer.
But more than all Germany has
come to realize how seriously her
foreign trade will suffer from all
these new enmities, and the German
papers are now declaring that busi-
ness rivalry is behind them ALL 1t
IS certain that each new hostile land
will increase the difficulties of Ger
f1any's attempts to regain her ex-
port trade after the war. For, all
most more than any other European
nation, Germany is dependent upon
other countries for raw material, and
especially for tropical products. Cot
ton and copper cocoanuts and rub
BIER cannot be got in Europe, and Of
such things Germany is one of the
greatest consumers. But If all the
chief producing lands are among
her enemies, and this is actually the
case, then Germany will find 1t very
hard to buy these most necessary
articles, on even reasonable, to say
nothing of advantageous, terms. 1t
tsethis knowledge which is making
her commercial circles so bitter
against the entente, and also causing
them, in their anger, to say many
unpleasant things against the short
sightedness and incapacity Of their
own government. One prominent
German newspaper recently declared
that the diplomacy of the entente
WAS infinitely superior to that OF
Germany that English diplomacy
had got practically everything 1t
tried for, and its greatest success of
all was bringing America into the
war.