The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-02-15
Thursday. February IS, 1917.
SENTIMENT IN GERMANY

EelidDlc. lHey come ldTSelS iiolh Eli
lish or French sources or from sym.
pathisers with the allies and are
therefore tinged or tainted by par
tlsan feeling.
During the past few days, however.
there has come by way of Switzerland
an uncensored letter written by Os-
car King Davis, an American news
aper writer who has been living in
Germany and whose sympathy in
dimes to the German side Just as
much as 1t does to the allies. His
letter which can be taken as his ac-
olal views after long observation is
rs follows:
THE American peop.e should get
This very cleally and hrm!y III nina.
iermany has made up her mind to
| go to it with the submarines, and
| The German people are with the Ger
| filan Government on that point.
1he question Of sharpened u5boat
Warfare has been the subject of the
keenest discussion among Germans
these many months Mnen first
| reached Berlin arferent prominent
and influential men, including mem
| Ders OF the Government, spoke to me
against indiscr.minate use OF subma
rines. There can be no q-sstion now,
| however, that German sondarity sup
| ports the new policy
The Germans wanted and still
want peace. thousands OF them were
iatuous enough to believe that the
kaisers De- ember CfIer was genuine
ny feasible and that peace might
really ensue The newspapers con.
stantly used word meaning rneade-
longing in their discussions of ithe
subject. ai u 37MiV Wau .o
| n rs past all doubtthat the great
| bulk or Germans tor the moment be-
lieye that they want n1peaee starTa,
ton, by financial stress, or b. the
present on approaching lack of war
materials. They are sincerely tired
iof war. a6 ad iaer, t,s r
| The great wave OF temotion which
lswept over Germany about Christmas
time was for peace. The refusal or
| the,Entenfe Powers 70 make peace -on-
the basis. Of Gelynan = FouistHas Oh
Her having deffived me German Gov.
eminent uf-thr opportunity to claim
great successes. Berlin now works with
consummate skill en- the emotional
German people, everywhere replacing
longing for peace with a hardened de-.
tei mlnation TO fight.
The men who three weeks ago
were opposing sharpcned submarine
warfare are now earnestly and sim
cerely supporting it. and asserting
that England Is responsible for the re-
fusal of Germany's peace offer.
This is a sincerity which cannot
be ignored or scclfed at. 1t must
be met full square or it will carry
Germany to peace with victory.
There is supreme confidence
among the Germans in the ability OF
the submarines to force England TO
early terms. These Germans have
discounted Americas participation in
the war They are not Indifferent 10
II but are wholly confident: First.
that America will be unable for many
months to render any appreciable ma.
terial. military or naval. aid to the
Entente powers, and second. that be-
fore America can do anything eifec-
tive the submarines will have created
such havoc among the worlds ship
ping that the Entente powers must
seek peace.
"The Germans say that they have
800 submarines OF the lal gest type,
equipped for long service far out at
sea. They say that they have ample
supplies OF every kind and especially
oil, thanks to Rumania.
They say that they will destroy
one third Of Englands shipping be
fore summer and viii create sueh a
situation that neutral ships will re-
fuse to venture near the prescribed
waters, and sailors will refuse to
serve on vessels liable to be ordered
into the war zone.
THAT is what Germanys hope is
built on. They have been preparing
for it with the utmost energy for
months.
ION recent visit to certain NUM-
tlon factories | personally saw torpe-
do tubes in process of construction
enough to equip many new snDma
rines. | saw literally acres of shells,
guns, mines, torpedoes, and torpedo
tubes under construction. Yet that
was only a small percentage Of Ger
many's munition capacity.
MANY Germans with whom | have
talked speak of the sharpened sub
marine warfare as a peace move.
They call it their ultima ratio, their
last resort. They believe or affect
TO believe, that 1t will surely bring
peace before the Summer ends.
Peace in Summer is heard every
where in Berlin.
They don't want any more enc
mics. They are not deliberately seek
ing to embroil America. But thoy are
going to make last great, deter
mined effort with their deadliest wea-
pom. II America objects, they will
fight her also, and they have what
cones very close to contempt for her
fighting possibilities.
They know all that such subma-
rine warfare means to them. They
speak with great show Of bitterness
about the terms of outlawry and re-