Ellsworth American., 1918-01-30
eERnANy's FuTuRE.
What One of Her Own Great Busi-
ness Men Thinks.

Z known as one OF the captains OF lhuustfs
of Germany He is the personal friend of
the Kaiser, and one of the financial forces
that shaped German prosperity in pre- war
wears. Last November DIR. Rathersu, the
German privy councillor, wrote to iferr
Bsllin asking his opinion concerning ''the
probsble course of our economic policy
after the war" The reply OF Bsiiin,
printed below, fell into British hands,
was ssintercepted," so it is explained, and
/ is given the British, French and American
\ press for publication to show what COM
mercisl giant in Germany at the present
time thinks of her future.l
| TO Herr Privy Councillor Or. Rathersu,
Hamburg, Dec. 4, 1917.
My Dear Herr Geheimrat:
You honor me in asking me to express
an opinion regarding the probable course
OF our economic policy after the war. Blu;
l cannot do this in any satisfactory or
sufficient way within the brief compass OF
g letter. All / can do is to iot down
thoughts:that strike me as being spplica-
Bile to the present serious situation. i
must say at once that neither in this city
nor in any other part OF the country do /
find definite or well-conceiyed plan OF
action for the re-esta blishment of after
war economic relations, nothing advocst-
ed which can be adopted without grave
misgiving as to its feasibility. Most OF
what we read in the newspapers as to
our preparedness for embarking on brisk
trade and manufactures as soon as peace
has been concluded is, fear, written with
the manifest intention OF hesrtening our
people, who are notoriously ignorant OF
our sctual economic conditions and all
that threatensithem.
Take, for example, that branch OF
commerce with which l am supposed to
be fsmiliar-shipping. What sorry lies
have been dished up to our people on
this subjecil One reads OF the resounding
ha ammer-strokes OF riveters as they work
at the creation of new leviathans for our
overseas commence. Hamburg, Bremen
haven, Dsnzig, tStettin, are supposed to
be buzzing with shipbuildipg. Not long
ago one journal asserted that nearly
400, 900 tons were almost ready for launch
ing. And there is hardly vestige, OF
truth in any OF these statements. Our
yards are only working for the navy,
and as for other ships, i've have not the
material or accommodations, and, above
all, we have not the necessary labor,
skilled or unskilled.
Believe me when / say that our mercan
tile marine is in . perilous condition.
The bill to re-estsblish and strengthen 1t
W hich is now before the Reichstag, even
il PASSED in its entirety, will show no re-
! suits for at least five years, and it is in
these Ave years that our fate will be most
adversely influenced. What will not our
great maritime competitors make Of these
five yesrs-Grest Britain, the States,
Japan, What will not neutrais make OF
them-neutrals who have enormously
added to their reserve capital-Norway,
Denmark, Holisndf / almost despair
when think how different it all might
have been. You and /, dear Herr Privy
Councillor, were never advocates OF this
fatal policy of unrestricted submarine
warfare. You will remember how went
to Berlin to seek to stay the hand of the
authorities. Ibegged them to reflect, and
they told me the country insisted on it
| This waslnot true. pointed out how II
would inevitably draw the United States
into the conflict. They pooh -poohed me,
smiled at the States and scorned her
threat. Do they smile nowf Let me tell
you that in my opinion the entry OF the
United.S States into this struggle may spell
absolute disaster for us.
Our people have little or no knowledge
of the American character. You and /
have made Q most careful study OF 1t.
What stun ourt publicists and journalists
write about their Msmmon worship, their
greed, their envy of other nations, their
lack of discipline-Oh, that lblessed word
discipline & You and 4 know that the
Americans are probably the most idealistic
nation ion the eartb's surface. We know
that they would not have entered the lists
of foes hsd they had any doubt as to the
justice of;.their cause. Nonsense to say
they have been influenced by Britain.
We are mad not to see where we are, and
whittier we are driving. In anrsgonizing
the United States we have done q disas-
trous thing, asthing which will throw its
cold shadow ON our economic life for q
generation.
But il / am concerned about our rela-
tions withlthe IUnitedRStstes, l am still
more anxious about our relations with
Britain. j realize as never before that all
theineresse of our wealth, all the success
which attended our enterprises in the
years before the war, was owing to our
intercourse with the British empire. Her
home ports, her dominions and colonies
were freely opened to our shippers and
traders. Sometimes ! wondered at this
generosity, and even called it folly. Is it
to be imagined for q moment that those
old relations will return?
lam MOTTO be supposed, dear Herr Ge-
heimrat, as saying one word in favor of
Britain's policy in this war. believe that
she entered it from base motives. Not for
moment do believe in her humanita-
rianism. her alleged desire tn Iih<,rafe or