The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-04
"Saddled on Z. S. Before She
Knows She's In"
That's Captive German Officers
Jeering Comment.
~. s. ACTIVITIES ALL BLUFF"
Too Proud to Fight Is General
Belief of PrusSianS.
Americans at Front Appeal for
u. S. ''tO Hurry"
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SINfMS.

With the British Armies in the
Field, June 4.-The war will he over
and a staggering indemnity saddled
on the United States before she
knows she is in-according to the
Prussian attitude of today.
The prisoners reflect this view. For
instance, a typically arrogant Prus-
sian officer jeered at me contempt
uously today as he stood inside a
barbed wire compound, fresh from
battle fielu where the Canadians had
mauled his division into scraps.
Before America Awakes
Before America awakes we will
have starved England, France and
! Italy into submission and have made
peace with Russia, leaving you alone
| in the field" he said.
To my enumeration of the evidences
| of Americas immediate participation
such as destroyers sent to the sub
| marine zone. a division of troops soon
to be at the front, and hundreds of
| thousands of others being recruited
! and trained-he replied to each
| "B-l-u-f-f"
When I mentioned big financial ad-
vances to the allies. he responded
'1oans are profitable" When ] spoke
of a huge air fleet building-"the war
will be finished before it arrives
Goethals constructing a vast fleet of
food carriers-"You'll be paying an
indemnity before the ships are fin
ished."
NO" the Prussian concluded, IT'S
too late: you can't harm us much
now"
Hope on C-boats, Russ Peace.
The plain truth IS that Germany is
prepared to fight telling defensive
war definitely-provided she is able
to keep her hungry population in line.
he n
generally, agree to this, basing their
hopes principally on the Ubcats, a
lseparate peace with Russia and the
sluggish half-hearted American
public
Talks with German prisoners and
documents captured in the British ad-
vance do not encourage the belief that
there will be a German revolution, at
least not soon. The junkers still con-
troll Germany and HohenZollernism is
as rampant as ever. And the German
high command, despite terrific losses
m men, is depending on machine guns
and barbed wire to compensate for
the thinning ranks in Germany's line.
Only Antidote Is to Fight.
So the only antidote is to fight. II
the Germans are to be beaten in the
field, then the fight will necessarily be
long. 1t is comparatively easy for a
few men to fight Extensively behind
well chosen positions, in mazes of con-
crete trenches, protected by snarls OF
barbed wire. the whole bristling with
machine guns. These positions must
be blasted out mechanically, and that
means by artillery-such a wealth OF
artillery that the wheels interlock-
and mountains of shells, swarms OF
aeroplanes, innumerable transports
trench mortars, grenades, narrow
gauge railways, bridge material and
all the other manifold machinery OF
war.
) Lastly. it means men-and more
men.
One must admit that the British of.
: ficers are vastly pleased at what
| America is doing and do not agree
: with my informant, the Prussian off.
: Ger in the bull pen, and his sneers and
references to bluff" Neither do the
thousands of Americans already here
f fighting in the trenches and in the air
Show EN- American Punch.
But every one with whom 1 talked
, says in the same strain
For Gods sake tell the folks bach
home not to lose time. We've simpl,
: got to show these damned Prussia n,
what the American punch is. If w,
don't-we might as well crawl into Z
hole and die