Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-29
FROM
GERMAN PAPERS
ON GERMAN LIFE
Destruction of French Country
During Retreat Is Described,
as Well as Riot in Berlin
and RatiOnS

Describing the abandonment of posi-
tions in France, whose extent he es-
Inmates at seventy-five miles, cores
pendent of the Frankfort Zeitung
writes:
Behind this lies a broad zone of de-
vastation. Everywhere one encounter
ed our sappers putting the finishing
touches to the work of systematic and
wholesale destruction
"Flourishng villages hitherto inhab-
tied and nesting peaceably in the midst
of cultivated fields and orchards are
now nothing but smoking heaps of ashes
and ruins. The giant poplars which
flank the French highways have been
felled and either thrown at random
across the roads or sawn into pieces
better designed to serve the purpose Of
obstruction.
Gross roads, bridges, canals. and
locks have been mined. Meantime our
orderly, well-planned withdrawal pro-
ceeds uninterruptedly. The enemy,
when he reaches the devastated region,
will not find a single reel of barbed-
wire, a spade, a rake, a hoe, hay, straw,
or any single thing of military value.
OF course. he will find nothing in the
shape of munitions,
I'VE found it feasible to preserve GER
tain towns like Roye and Noyon from
destruction. Noyon. which formerly
had a population of only $500, contain
ed 5000 French, and the place was CIV
en- up by us without a struggle simply
in order to spare the lives of these
residents.
"Other places like Bapaume and Pc
rome had to be entirely destroyed in
order to deprive the enemy of any OPP
portunty of using them for purposes of
cover and attack. Everywhere the sad
plight of the inhabitants of villages and
towns was made as easy as possible.
Only people between the ages of fifteen
and sixty. who are capable of work were
sent to our rear"
ONLY $4,000 IN RIOT
The recent Berlin riots, according to
the Stuttgart Tagwacht, were a mere
trifIe after all. "Only" 1875. 900 took
part in them. and they did not even
break a single window of the kaiser's
palace.
Although in view of the false i'm
preston which such incidents are like
ly TO produce in the enemy countries.
the recent strike demonstration in Ber-
lin. which was attended only by some
1875, 900 persons, is to be regretted. IL
is reassuring to find that, notwithstand-
ing that the strikers passed in front OF
the imperial palace-a locality where
It might reasonably be thought some
special irritation could be caused them
no serious disturbances occurred"
REDUCTIONS IN BERLIN RATIONS.
The latest reductions in Berlin's ra-
tions are outlined by the Vorwaerts as
follows:
Reduction Of the daily individual
flour allowance from Z ounces to
ounces (cutting down bread rations
nearly 1-2 pound per week..
Reduction by one-quarter of the
flour allowance granted to communal
authorities for the benefit of working
people engaged In arduous tasks (muni-
tions. etc..
Reduction of grain allowance to pro-
,ducers Cfarmers) from 20 pounds to
ID ID pounds per month.
Abolition of the extra allowances
granted to communities for young per-
sons"
Would the German people like TO
know what is this particular brand of
freedom that the Americans have decid-
ed to force on them. If they can?' Let
the Cologne Volkszeitung tell them.
ut is a freedom that is enjoyed i'm
the United States by two classes of peo-
ple--f1rst. those who have plenty OF
money, and, second. those who have no
conscience. Those, however, who at the
same time have very much money and
no conscience at all enjoy greater freed
ON than anybody else.
This Fata Morgana, the Anglo
American freedom, would be the final
undoing Of the German people were they
idiotic enough to stretch forth their
arms toward IT."