Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-20
GERMAN PRESS DEMANDS
Government TELL TRUTH
eeething Discomfort Over Admins.
tration Of Soothing Portions in
Place OF Victory.
EXPLANATIONS OF DEFEAT
somehow DO Not Accord With Facts,
una People See That There Is
trouble Acknowledgements Amer
lean Army's Power.
EBy International News Bureau !,


t3y International News Burenu1
rom Graz to Grauderz the German
language press has been supplied by
main headquarters with an Identical ...
p'ahation Of what is termed the Ger
"" ulSengagemcnt" on the western
'front.' Apart from the Implications OF
mis- statement. it's very uniformity "a
.eit TO be depressing. This impression
accentuated by the strong contrast
between what is described as the for
MAI tone OF German war anniversary
DENOMINATIONS ana messages and the
vigorous freshness OF similar utter
1hces IN the allied countries
Consciousness Of this contrast mani
rests Itself in various forms The CO.
iogne Gazette, for example. appears to
De quite unnerved Its inmate sense
OF cleanliness" which has hitherto for
D'ooen 1t 10 handle things unclean, has
H"en completely overcome by the rising
TIDE OF mud in which our enemies
threaten TO cngulf the German name"
Entente statesmen. /, says. continue
INCREASINGLY to lay siege TO the moral
detenses Of the central powers. where
as the Austro- German peoples appar-
entity have no spokesman competent TO
make reply.
What Germany needs most at this
hour Is an Imperial Psychologist"
IN, an IMPERIAL psychologist. the Co
iosne Gazette believes. would tell the
government that. against the day OF
peace settlement. Tor our politica! flu
tuIe and. above all. for our economic
future, u Is matter o. damnab BILE i'm
portancc whether are. or are not
regarded throughout the world as ma
ton OF blackguards. And. indeed. we
are being SO regarded That
nf 1ish
men. combined with the specchless-
ness OF our own statesmen. are bring
ING US to. In many quarters the press
Is made codctcndant Of the govern
meht. unhapp!ly. too. not always with
on, Justice
The Cologne Gazette further com
I.lains that many people seem TO think
mat the press has got nothing better
10 do than TO nail every lie to the
counter. That, II implies. IS the bust
Less OF the authorities
some OF the peev!shneSs is doubtless
que 10 the fact tina; the government APP
pears TO have fallen Into arrears with
It's press subsidies. part OF which are
payable In the form OF rebates on the
ccst OF paper. According 10 a Munich
journal. without these allowances
German newspapers. with few eXccp-
tons, would be reduced TO such straits
that their further publication and their
existence would be most gravely i'm
perilcd."
TRUTH ABOUT THE DEFEAT
AND ABOUT UNITED STATES
But the causes Of the present discon-
tent lie deeper. In the current number
OF Deutsche Pol!tik. Herr Paul kohr-
bach demands a policy of courage
The courage, he explains. that we
mean is the moral power OF rising
above circumstances in the presence OF
danger. Without question we were in
peril during the early days II the
counterstrokc 10 our offensive in
France. II Is matter OF Indifference
In what way this reaction is explained
to us. Every want OF success has its
natural explanation. With our high
criminal error cannot be imputed. But
are IIindenburg and LudcndorT gods?
Can they do no wrong? DO the flu
ture and the plans of the enemy lie
open before them and their assistants?
Is an unsuccessful offensive. after so
many thrusts that have succeeded, to
be enough TO rob them of part OF the
German peoples trust in them? Why.
then. did the authorities begin by
treating us IL we We're Frenchmcn
or Italians? Why these palliatives in
the shape OF statements and reports
that lacked confidence in the courage
Of the nation? In Germany the nation.
the educated classes as we'll the
masses, is too we'll schooled in military
matters not 10 discern the purpose OF
the thing: these phrases are designed
TO "tranqulize": there must therefore
be thought TO be some need for rcas-
surance.
Another point. Let us openly be
told that the Americans in France now
constitute powerful and capable fight
ing force. and that further American
re-enforcement5 are continually being
transported across the ocean. When
the question was raised whether or not
war with the United States would come.
we were constantly told that England
would be compelled to capitulate before
any American troops worth talking
about could reach Europe. and indeed.
that II would be quite Impossible to
MI ND mi,
any large American army. These, too,
were mere soothing powders which
ought never TO have been administered.
The American war minister in the
Times returns the strength Of this
army at something over 1000. 600 men
and the losses during the passage at
only few hundred. The one figure
will be an over-estimate and the other
there are enough American soldiers
fighting against us TO make victory
equally certain that il has not been
possible to interfere with the American
transports. Some damage. ii is true.
has been inflicted, but not enough TO
fighting force whose weight in the
scale can he felt
Away then with these continual do
ceptions and sleeping draughts; let the
German people have the truth.
While Herr Rohrbach hesitates to en-
terrain the idea that Germany may lose
il it throws the whole burden on the
shoulders Of the army and neElects it's
own duty, the war may almost inter
mnably be prolonged. The govern
ment's duty Is not to look out for signs
of readiness for peace. but to help the
army to beat the enemy. In this re-
spect he considers that the allies have
n superiority: they wage war with no
litical as we'll as with military wea-
pons. He continues:
The enemy army commands possess
, in their diplomacy wonderful. excel
lent and successful lilly. while our
command gets as good as no help at
all from the political side. and the
task OF achieving victory rests upon
the army alone. Not only is 1t pos
sible for us to be beaten, but we shall
be beaten II our government continues
10 show lack OF insight and courage
The best defense Is the offensive
But our diplomacy lacks the offensive
spirit. that is why 1t is forever sitting
AlaAH A@a alAll> nannn /