The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-01-19
Changing the German Mind

One of the unfathomabe mysteries of the
present war is the submission of the German
people to the mastery and deception of the
HOhenzolern house and the war lords. The zest
and zeal of the people to do the will of their
autocratic rulers invite investigation.
No one will deny the blind faith the common
people have in the present dynasty. Sporadic
outbreaks against the present ruling class and
it's representatives are only flashes in the pan
and are not indicative of the attitude OF the
masses who cling tenaciously to the war program.
The Imperial German government lost no time
after the declaration of hostities to instill into
the minds of the common people the idea that
German was waging a defensive war and that she
was fighting to maintain the integrity of the
Empire against the Entertainments of Great
Britain.
This idea is supreme and dominating in the
German mind. 1t cannot be eradicated by ap-
peals from foreign countries. 1t is as tightly en-
grated as is the Americans love of liberty and
independence. In Judging the attitude OF the
German masses this factor never must be lost
sight of.
Consequently the morale of the German SOL
diers has not been undermined by the failure of
the General Staff to break the Allies line on the
western front. The spirit of the German people,
although sorely tried by the privations OF the
last three years. still has unbounded faith in the
ability of the army to defeat the French and
British. Even if the people whole have been
reduced to dire straits they are willing to suffer-
if thereby it will help the army defeat the nations
that made war upon the Fatherland.
If three years of suffering have not brought
about change in the love of the German people
for the despotism of the Kaiser and the war
party it is evident that only monbentous occur
ence will shake their faith.
1t stands to reason that the people will have
a still greater nfatuation for their Government,
if the army is able to defeat the Allies Such an
event would cement for years to come the
allegiance of the people to the despotism which is
able to delude them into giving their lives and
fortunes at the Kaiser's behest. Should this oc-
cur, democracy would not be able to make head
way in Germany for years to come and the
benevolent autocracy that now holds sway
would gain another long lease on life.
William English Walling, in an exhaustive
article prepared for the Committee on Public In
formation, summarizes the attitude of the Ger
man people and indicates our course of action in
the following words:
Here it is recognized the blind loyalty
of the German people is such that the mill
tary victory of Prussian despotism over
the democratic nations will in their minds
Justify Prussian despotism. The German
people so hypnotized by the past and
recent successes of the German military
machine that they totally disregard its
crimes against other peoples. Nor do they
realize, as the President points out in mis-
last message, that if the German power is
not Crushed and utterly brought to
end by decisive military defeat this
would inevitably make it necessary to
create permanent hostile combination of
nations against the German people, who
are it's instruments dec. 4)-resulting in !,