The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-12-24
RUINATION
OF GERMANY
PREDICTED
One of the Leading Manu-
facturers Says BLACK
Ruin Faces Us"
TOLD THEM THEY
WOULD LOSE WAR
DIR. Rothenau Says the
Country is Ruined for
Generations to Come
Copyright Correspondence to the
New York Herald by II. J. GreenwalU

New York Herald by II. J. GreenwallJ
Berlin, Dec. Z3-The rliination OF
Germany and "the Balkanization of
Europe will follow any action by the
Entente Allies and the United States
that places the wars cost on the Ger
man people, was the declaration of
Dir. Emil Rathenau, head of the Ger
man General Electrical Company and
one of the largest employers of labor
In this country, to me today
Germany is ruined for generations
TO come" he continued. "This is the
greatest calamity that has happened
to any country in two thousand
years. We are ruined politically, in
dustrially and economically.
"Our people do not yet know the
truth. ! told the German people that
they would lose the war, but every
body scoffed at me-"
Then he asserted that no person in
Germany can tell the truth regarding
the situation, because nobody knows
it."
DR.. Rothenau employs 10000 work
men, | asked him to develop his thesis.
Every early in the war | discussed
with friend Germanys chances of
winning" he said. "This man held
most advanced ideas. He expressed
the opinion that we might lose heavily
in men, but in the end we could win
Il told him that in my opinion the
Kaiser and his paladins might one day
ride in state through the Bradcnburg
Gate, but if they did, it would prove
that all history was filed with non
sense and that everything depended on
chance. Inever found more than ten
or twelve persons in Germany who
could, or who would, understand me- y
ain order to prevent the collapse
of Germany during the early stages
OF the war and to save my country
from sudden ruin, | thought it neces-
saly to organize all raw materials. |
took the m up with the proper
officials. Up to that time there had
not even been an attempt at organic
ing the food supplies That was un-
dertaken- later.
az went to General Ludendorff in
July of last year and said to him that
in order TO carry out his plans he
must take Paris, Lendon and New
York city. But you can't do that |
told him.
"He replied that he knew it and
that he was not against peace by
understanding. However, he was not
willing to assume responsibility fol-
the failure of his plans. Neither
would he believe what | told him re-
garding the failure Of the submarine
campaign"
Then he declared that the German
people were guilty-guilty Of believ-
ing what was told to them"
"They have no political initiative
he asserted.
For four years l have lived in the
opposition, because l considered oul
general situation more dangerous than
the pe0ple believed it to be. They
consider only the political and econo-
mic situation and never what is hap
pening outside of Germany. Half OF
them live on what grows in our sol
or on what is found below our soil
The other half live by industries, fol
which all raw materials have to be
bought and paid for with what they
sell.
"Now our colonies are going anC
Alsace-L Lorraine, with all its ores anC
potash Indeed, there is danger o1
US losing other parts of our country
our Danish and sO-called Polish dis
tricts, which, in reality, are German.
"Then comes the question of in
demnity. Our savings until now hav'
been between 50,000,000 and 81,
500,000,000 yearly If the indemnit!
is high, the interest and payments will
take our savings and we9will have lef
nothing with which to expand our in
dustries. Black ruin faces us.
"There viii be a great tide of emf
gration-probably to South Americ'
and the Far East, and certainly t.
Russia.
"The situation for us will be tn
most dreadful in all history and tn
result will be the Balkanization 0
Europe. The disappearance of Ger
many from a position of importanc
will be the most dangerous fact i
history. Sooner or later the Easter
Powers will press on Western civil
zation."
Referring to the food situation, Dl
Rathenau said that the provisions i
Germany will be exhausted in tw
months.
He Wal was IilcNlIdDIC5 ilC ocllN
Just before our interview closec
"High grade imperialism and CONNER
cial competition made it inevitable
The Serbian question was badly hand
led by the Austrian and the Russia
politicians"
DR.. Rathenau has seen the damag
done in Belgium and in Norther
France and estimated that the indem
nifty which Germany will have to pa
for this will be about S5,000,00 900.
In house in Panama is bear
of Nazarene wood more than a Ger
tury old. As it is in a place pre-
tected from the sunlight it still ha
the original bright purple color.