The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-24
WHEN Do We EAT?"
IS MAIN QUESTION
OF Empire Arc starving and In
RebeIIious Mood.
WORRIED OVER AMERICA
Entrance of United States Into War
Brings Gloom But Military Party
Is In Control and Holds Firm Grip.

An Atlantic Port, June 23-When
do we eat? That Is the question up
permost in the minds and on the lips
Of the German people today. over
shadowing interest in the war or It's
outcome, according 10 Miss Olga
Wurzbers, just returned rom Codes
berg. Germany.
olga accompanied her father. F.
w Wurxberg. eighty-rour. a German
born American citizen, who ts mil
iionaire manufacturer of Grand
Rapids, Mich~ and her mother and
two sisters They had been in Ger
two sisters, They had been in Germany
six years and got away with ex-
ed today from the steamer whose $50
passengers from Germany. Russia and
Scandinavian countries were sub
tected 20 psinstsklng search upon the
ships arrival here yesterday.
We unfortunately were in Germany
when the war started, said Miss
WurzberK. and have been trying ever
since 10 get out ] have lost twenty
four pounds. while my poor mother
lost ifty-eigh.. My sister. Elsie. SUI
fered so from malnutrition that her
face became partially paralyzed.
when we reached Norway we all
wore paper clothing.
bad. The people are nearing a re-
volt
Il was sick in hospital at Codes
berg. where there were a great many
soldier patients 7 spoke fluent Ger
man and the soldiers. who did not
know I was an American, talked
freely to me. a German major said
to me on the hospital porch;
You see ] wear the coat of the
kasier. ! only wish you could know
the feeling that lies beneath it. We
are not going TO stand this forever.
Soldiers in the hospital get a poor
~ made soup with little or no meat,
roots and vegetables. neither nutriti
Gus nor patalable. The result liz very
slow convalesence and a good many
never get well. One soldier said to
me. Some day we are ssll going to
put down our arms. Why should We
fight7 OurJ officers now. instead OF
leading us, go behind us With guns
at our backs,
Z have seen men leave the hospi-
tai to return TO the trenches when
they had only one arm.
Now that the German people have
learned that America has sent over
nearly 1000. 900 soldiers. they are be-
ginning TO get plainly worried.
One remarkable thing have
learned Is that the German people
have a most friendly feeling toward
the American people. But they feel
very bitter against President Wilson.
ss they were taught by the German
press and the military party to be
lieve he was responsible for Amer
!ea's entrance into the war.
While ! was at the hospital a Ger
man officer started berating the pres
ident / listened as long as / could,
and finally said: What right have you
TO say that the president brought on
this war? 1t was your kaiser who
brought you people into the war. But
for him there would have been no
war President Wilson is a better
/ man than your kaiser ever could hope
/ to be
| He became go angry that he
rushed at me- and would have struck
me down but for the interference OF
some bystandsrs, | just had to have
my say. no matter what happened.
ON the train which bore us out OF
! Germany a soldier said to me, We
| don't care now when the war ends
/ We don't care who wins
| The people are more interested in
! food than in the war"
| Another passenger who declared the
| food question to be paramount in the
| German peoples minds was Carl E
| Oivarlus, a Milwaukee lawyer. who
| had spent year In Sweden. Denim ark
and Norway. He said:
! The people OF Sweden simply can.
not get food Ordinary board costs
over s25 week. People are simply
starving, Friends coming out of Ger
many told me the Germans who used
/ TO get food from Sweden can get NJ
/ more.
mo one In Germany speaks OF VIZ.
tory. They always talk OF food. War
! has become secondary to efforts TO get
something to eat. The potato crop in
Germany IL very bad this year"
Further light on German food con.
ditions was shed by Mrs Clara Rains
whose grandfather founded the Stein.
way Piano company OF New York;
! Saxony Is pretty well off for food.
she said. but Berlin and other large
cities ara in terrible shape. The peo-
! pie Of Germany express sorrow that
America has entered The war, and
Z feel that it will cause the struggle to
be prolonged
I They want peace. But the Ger
man militaIist power has grip on
the German peoples throat and it Is
death grip"