The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-02-05
STRIKE WAVES
AS PEOPLE GO
BACK TO JOBS
81 JAN BRuNA
United Press Correspondent

] United Press Correspondent
THE HAGUE. Feb. 5.--Germany's
first political strike was waning
today.
I, reached its highest point OF
Generalization Of German industry
Friday. according 10 reliable In
| formation. on that date ten per
cent OF all workers In manufac-
tories were out
Tho future effect ~ tho strike II
probicmaiicai II r. certain that
the ucup created intense bitterness
between the strikers and the so
called middle class In Germany.
| The strikers demands for food
were received with Indignation BY
other classes
Labor Rations Suffieisn.f
Every body knows In Germany tho
| lahor~rn' rRtions arc much better
than those which the average mid
die class sslaricd man can afford.
The food In factories cannot be
bought by tho man Of average
means. His salary has not increased
anywhere near tho rate OF that OF
tho workers.
Prom carefully complied inforrnn-
ton. the main ccnters Of tho strike
were In Berlin and Hamburg.
Fooled BY Censor
Tho percentage Of workers out
NaA much higher than in Silcaia
| and Sasouy. where mos; Of the
/
Rhin.land, surrounding SaArbruck.
only part OF tho miners were out
No important engineers organiza-
tion Joined tho movement From
/ reports II was learned that the in
! dependent socialists had intended
| TO strike In Austria and In Ger
I many under sort of I. w w.
leadership. but tho careful censor
ship Of Austria prevented any dis
patches going out
Tired OF War
One thing the strike emphasizes
Is that the food situation I'm Ger
many II not ms bad as last year.
I but tho hhrdships OF food economy
arc In tho long run beginning TO
weigh heavily on tho public.
IA 10 the injection OF peace de-
mands into tho strike situation. tho
| impression IL prevailing In Ger
many that the anncNationists are
influencing the conduct OF negotia-
lions at Brcgt Litovsk
Socialists in the empire are con.
vinccd that the German delegates
would have been more successful II
they had given the impression that
Germany WAS serious when she said
she was willing 10 permit self-deter.
mination OF the Poles. Lthunians.
Let's and peoples OF other Baltic
provinces.
Mistrust kuehlmann
Foreign Minister kuehlmann's OK.
plantations before the main commit
tee may have satisfied the socialist
members OF the relchstag. but
they did not convince the workers
of Germany. whose mistrust was
strengthened by Gen. Hoffmann's
speech.
Tho the German people have an
impression that Bolshcvik Minister
Trotsl<y is dishonest. they believe his
influence at BrestLltovsk would
have been much less II the central
powers had clearly shown they real
ly wanted peace.
Want Reforms
| Discomfort has likewise been TO
mcnted by the delay In constitution
nj reform on the part OF the Prus-
sian diet and the main committee OF
the reichstag. Reform has been
promised. but so far withheld.
On account OF all these factors.
the strike would have been greater
II II had found the ground fortified
by the Russian revolution.
But even the most radical OF the
socialists express the belief that
chances of n revolution seem small.
partly due TO conviction that the al
lies demands on Germany are in
the interest OF world Imperialism.
|