Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-23
"Six Months in
Hell and Back"
German Socialists VicDs After
Six Months TraOcl Through
out the Empire.
NJ JGNATIuS KINAsT.
Copyright. International News Bureau.


district alone there had taken plac,
nearly sixty serious disturbances. cauS
ing total casualty Of 294 killed and
over 600 wounded men and women. y,
the Munchen district alone there are
more than 1000 men and women con.
ricted. their offenses varying from TAX
ing part at food or peace riots TO in
citing the workers to strike or high
treason.
y walk through Maximilian Strasse
Will convince the visitor to what cX-
tent Germany has suffered prvations.
One would observe. on the right and
OH the left, desolation, wrought with "A
revenginE hand. There is hardly "A
window which does not bear a mourning
Grape with card in the center. telling
the name and the age of the victim, In
( the carly days of the war they told me
these mourning grapes bore large cards
stating that the deceased gave his life
I For the Kaiser and the FatherIand."
/ Later these cards simply stated Gave
his life for the Fathcrland.' But since
/! the last two years no cards-not in
South Germany anyhow-wcre exhibit
| ed bearing evidence that the people OF
those who were killed on the battle
/ field would consider that their beloved
/ ones gave their lives either for the
I Kaiser or for the Fathcrland. In all
/ my travelling throughout Germany i
have only seen by actual count twenty
seven such testimonials
! But what are the German masses
/ SAYING" Wrat the German masses are
saying represents only one-tcnth Of
| wha, they are thinking. And yet the
! fun force of what the German massca
! are thinking, has, at the present time
! very little or no force in influencing
| the settled determination OF the Gle
ncnts who arc now in asccndancy
! Because those who arc saying things
and thinking more are those who are
not in possession OF physical force, thus
their opinions regarding the war or
peace can be treated with utter i'm
punity by our rulers
Before leaving Switzerland / myself
WAS one OF those who had boa ,ed about
what our Socialists or Liberals might
do. Several times my English friends
had tainted me with the now very old
sarcasm that revolution in Germany
was Impossible, as is was Forbidden"
{? had not seen the truth OF this sarcasm
though fclts its bitter bite But / was
not i'll Germany moro than two weeks
when I became convinced that the old
English sarcasm regarding revolutions
in Germany was too true. a great dis
appointment j. awaiting the world il
;he friends Of peace put their trust
solely III that direction.
In Germany tho forces who arc able
20 mako revolution are at the front
and under severe discipline. Every
Socialist with whom / had a hcart-,o-
heart talk confessed to mo that the
army is not ready for a rebellion. The
German soldier :; the from; has had no
time to think economic i!y lie is
totally ignorant OF the dire miscriea
the pco0lc at home arc suffering. Oc-
casIonaiIy - military uprising takes
place in tho ranks. bU, these arc not
directed against the foreign policy OF
the imperial governments: these up
r'sinEs arc merely local discoutcnts.
The army IS as jealousy guarded from
behind as II is guarded against tho
enemies OF Germany at the front In
spite OF tho fact that the civil popula-
ZION OF Germany is starving. the sol
d!crs have not Yet been made 10 feel
tn" pinch ot hunger.
'Th" army is being day and night fed
With propaganda, painting a lurid pic
turc "i "ha; II might cXpec; at tho
hands Of their enemies. Many of these
pamphlets lei! into my hands. and |
l""' acain and again ashamed that our
German rulers arc capable OF puttinc
such horrible lies into print
NJ Munch"n an incapacitated army
CAPTAIN showed me set OF such gov
ernincni literature that had hccn OK
traNaEanty circulated. behind the
front III the reserve dcpots. They do
not dare 30 rircularize these Incredible
!l"S at The front line. perhaps for fear
,hti ftw o! them might FALL into The
| h"'3- %, the enemy VIII" would make
-, p"phG TO inc world. In ono OF
these pamphlets the author quotes near
- QUO words, supposedly from a
TTi',|H 'oNVc'ch before the lcnglish
ir."rl.aincnt by INC Prime Minister. Mr.
~ winch he is made TO say
"'H ne EnG!ish armies cross the
'"'I' ''"hiIrr' ana wreck vengeance
/ ON u" hcar'hS Of tho German homes
thea there viii he time TO talk peac.
ana NOT bo'orc then When observed
:" ny "'iecr friend that British
4 rim. Minister who used such language
"oui" DC tried before police court
nnn sem 10 common jail for having
usco indecent language in public he
seemed greatly amazed. He said. Then.
you 90 not believe ii?" During my agi-
,"'en conversation with him five other
incapacitajcd officers Joined us. Thnv
700; had mad COPIES Of such pamphlets