The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-17

it is by no means completely govern
ed by them. We shall not merely oc.
cupy India We shall conquer it, and
the vast revenues that the British al
low to be taken by Indian Princes
will after our conquest, flow in a
golden stream into the fatherland. In
all the richest lands of the earth the
German flag will fly over every other
flag"
TAKE 1T OF LEAVE TT.
Finally the Emperor concluded
IT am making you no promises that
cannot be redeemed, and they shall
be redeemed if you are now prepared
to make the sacrifices which are nee
essarary to secure the position that
our country must and shall occupy in
the world. He who refuses to help is
a traitor to the fatherland; he who
helps willingly and generously will
have his rich reward
All sounded, I admit, tempting and
a1furing, and though there were some
who viewed rather obviously the pros
Ipect of Germany being able to con-
quer the world in a year, the majority
tof business and commercial men agreed
to support the Hohenzollern war plans.
Most of them have since wished they
had never paid amy attention to them.
According to the promises of the
F1ohenzollern victory was to have been
achieved in December 1915, and the
promises made to myself and other
Icommercial men in Germany when our
money for the Kaisers' war chest was
wanted were to have been redeemed.
But this is what happened in reality.
In December of 1916 the chancellor,
Bethmann-Hollweg, began to have in
terviews once more with business
men. The purpose of these interviews
again was o get more money from
them. Guarantees, were asked from Is
business men of Germany, including
myself, that we would undertake to
subscribe 800, 900, pounds. I de-
Icfined to give this guaranty; so did
some others. I was then favored with
a private interview with Bethmann-
Hollweg's private secretary, who told
me that if I declined to give, the mon
ey would lose a contract I had with
the war office. But not only that
1 was threatened with the practical
ruin of my business if / did not give
the guaranty.
THE KAISER A BLACKMAILER.
1 described this demand as black
mail Of the worst sort and refused to
guarantee a mark to the war loan.
Two months later lost my contract,
and the greater part of my business
has been taken over at a figure that
means confiscation. Moreover, am
not to get paid until after the war, but
am to receive one per cent. on the
purchase price. Every man who de-
clined to promise su Inscription to the
amount he was asked has been treated
in the same manner.
The majority of men, however, pre-
ferred to pay to being ruined, and so
the Hohenzollerns in the main got
their way. But, apart from the
hlackmailing of men who refused to
pay any more money into the Hohen-
zollern war chest, let US see how the
Hohenzollerns' promises are working
out A circular was sent out last
March to large number of business
men by the foreign trade department
which contained the following sug-
gestion:
''It will be wise for employers who
have foreign trade interests to en-
ploy agents in foreign countries who
can pass themselves off as being of
French or English birth. German
agents and travellers will probably
for some time after the war have diff
flculty in doing business not only in
enemy countries but in neutral coun-
tries There will undoubtedly be q
personal prejudice against Germans
that would probably make it difficult
for representatives of German firms
to do business. Although this pre-
JUDGE will not interfere with German
trade, as it will be merely of a per-
sonal character, it will facilitate trad
ing transactions if employers will en-
ploy agents who can pass as French
or English, preferably, or as Dutch
} American, or Spanish
T So this is the prospect we are faced
with after the war. The meaning
l of this circular in plain language is
this. So loathed and hated have Ger
, mans become outside their own coun-
l try, that no one will want to have
: any personal dealings with them after
the war.
A large number of businesses are
f moreover, being secretly bolstered III
with state aid A condition of thi.
= aid is that the owners Of the bust
nesses receiving it shall agree to &C
cept a considerable degree of STATE
L control over their business after the
{ war.
This is part and parcel of plar
on the part of the Hohenzollerns tt
get the commercial classes thorough
ly into their grip before the end O.
: the war, and so minimize the chances
: of a revolution.
These men who have agreed t,
L accept aid now for their businesses
and state control after the war. hav,
received a notification from the for
eign trade department to the effec
that, with proper organization, Ger.
many ought to recover her nre-ra