The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-18
GERMANY IS SICK
AND TIRED OF WAR
Munition Manufacturers Are Only
Ones Who Favor Continuing
The Struggle
CONDEMN BREsT-LITovsK PACT
Peace and Food Problem Form Basis
OF All Convcrsations-Sosd Are
Weary Of Fighting to No Apparent
Purpose.
Bv ALFRED G. Anderson

new OTk, OCt. lO.-lt tooS iHo iNNS
than twenty-four hours after my ar
rival in Berlin to find out that all
Germany is heartily sick and tired OF
the war. This. too, at time when
the German army w',s reporting sue
cesses from the western front.
In cafes. on street cars, In stores
and. hotel lohhies-everywhere ar,x-
iety for peace was an fnevtApIe
theme That and the food problem
formed the basis Of all conversations.
The great mass was ready to accept
peace at any price. Pan Germans In
sisted on grabbing threefourths of the
earth. Others advocated a middle
course.
Also. everybody wanted to revise
the Brest- Litovsk and Bucharcst
treaties. But two had precisely the
same motive.
The socialist and liberal elements
openly condemned the treaties an
violating rights" During my visit
debate in the reichstag became so v,o-'
lent that the socialists openly advo-
Gated deposing the Hohenzollern dy-
nasty
All reference to this debate was
suppressed in the T.iepziger Volks
Zeitung. leading organ Of the social
lists. Not one copy OF this newspaper
is permitted to leave the empire.
According to this account, Herr
Ledebour. independent SOCIALIST,
shouted during the debate;
Belgian Treaty Violated
"Af dynasties that have ruined
their countries should be deposed
The German government brutally vio-
lated it's treaty with Belgium. From
the entire world we hear the cry that
Germany should be punished.
Later he said:
Some day the reichstag will settle
accounts with the dynasty that has
ruined the German people
we don't want TO punish any ma
ton, nor do we desire to insert punt
tive clauses in our peace treaties. We
do want the restoration OF real peace
and friendship among all nations.
The peace treaties that have so far
been concluded are hut armistice
agreements that contain the germs or
future wars"
Herr Lebebour is one OF the editors
OF the Leipziger vo,ks Zeitung which
was quoted a few days ago as having
insisted that the kaiser abdicate.
Prot 3. Saenger, political editor or
the Berlin Neue Rundschau," in ex-
planning the views OF various factions
in the reichstag as the felt at that
time, said:
The conservatives, national liber-
ais and free conservatives. constitut-
ing the pan-German group, believe In
the retention OF all occupied territory.
The Centrum and Liberal IA tions'
originally supported the socialists In
their famous peace by negotiations
resolution. favor guarantees They
insist on the disarmament of Belgium
as a safeguard against aggression
from the west.
Socialists Oppose Annexation
The socialists ere opposed to any
form OF annexation. Some even be-
lieve Alsace-Lorraine should be re-
stored to France"
Professor Saenger figures that out
of four-hundre members OF the
reichstag only one-hundred were pan
German He made the prophecy that
ZEN ifxGermany we're rot definitely
Gated annexatiorists would have
little Influence at the peace table.
BY diligent perusal of Berlin news
papers. I came to the conclusion that
strict party lines, in so far as the con-
ditions of peace were concerned q,
could not he drawn. In every party
represented in the reichstag some
members leaned toward the opposition
party in the matter of peace
I'm the cafe Bauer, of the Inter
Den Linen | was inti oduced to Herr
Dobell. Bavarian majority socialist
dele gate to the reichstag. Many men,
! hers can be found there. Herr Do
bell told me that most members OF
| his party believed that the best solu-
| ton OF the Alsace Lorraine question
was to elevate those provinces to an
autonorn Gus state in the German en-
| pire.
Should Determine Own Destiny
| Personally. thirk the Alsace -Lor-
raine people should determine their
own destiny by plebestite.' he ad-
| ded