Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-11-08
GERMANY HAD BIG PLANS.
Captured Staff Officer Let's Out Pipe
Dream.

|
Dream.
Germany's armies are unbeaten. ac-
.cording to a German divisional staff
officer recently taken prisoner on the
French front, and Germany's request
for an armistice was the result Of the
influence which pessimists have gained
in the government and over the en-
peror. This officer. an intelligent rep
resentative Of his class, said:
THE Germans request for an armis-
tice is proof to me that the grand
headquarters has been submerged by
the crisis in the interior Of Germany.
The influence Of the general staff over
the emperor has been exaggerated.
THE emperor is surrounded by peo-
pie who feel and talk defeat of the
species Of Schcidcmann Cthe German
Socialist leader). They are continually
setting before the emperor the unfar-
orable situation of Germany. from
their point Of view. and painting In
somber colors the frightful response
bility he has incurred, as well as the
possible consequences to his person, in
the event of defeat, which appears to
them to be imminent.
| There are days when no officer OF
the general staff can gain access to the
emperor. These are days of acute
pessimism passed by the monarch al
most entirely in prayer and Bible read
ing.
THE German people want peace at
once and at all costs. They have had
enough Of war.
Another cause of anxiety is the
Separatist movement which has be-
come very serious lately. The talk
through all south Germany now is,
Let up separate from Prussia
| 6varia Is the worst. There every
one, even the soldiers, may insult Prus-
sia without provoking a word Of de-
fsnse in our behalf The Bavarian
press employs the same tone and we
are beginning to think that this Is de-
sired by the Bavarian army, which
will make no further effort. Their at
titude is an enigma.
No Military Necessity for Peace.
There appears to be no military ne
cessity for the conclusion of peace
now, in spite of the constant retire
ment of our forces since the middle OF
July, and this is the opinion or the
majority of my comrades on the diff
ferent staffs.
I'VE thought generally that our re-
treat upon the Siegfreid positions
would continue till winter, in the mean
time weakening the enemy by our stub
born resistance. We would have util-
lied the winter to reorganiZing ana
regrouping our forces. while our Dip
lomats would have entered into nego-
tiations that would surely have termi-
mated in a favorable peace for us.
THE abandonment Of the Alsace-
Lorraine territory, the evacuation OF
Russian territory and the creation OF
Polish kingdom are equivalent TO the
ruin of Germany, taking from us the
raw materials Of Alsace-Lorrainc'
which are indispensable to our INDUS
tries, and the markets that we aimed
to create in the east.
I'm consequence. there will be
stoppage of a great part Of our indus
tries for several years, an impoverish-
ment Of the working class. interior
troubles, separations and complete
upheaval.
Then our enemies will have what
they have desired-the complete ami
hilation of Germany. That would be a
peace due to Scheidemann.
I'VE thought our present retreat
would end upon a position chosen by
lis; that the war would finally termi-
nate by the success Of our arms at
some point of the front with the aid OF
our new tanks and would bring about
a conciliatory peace favorable to us.
Amcrican-Japancse War Predicted.
The divisional staff officer revealed
that It was the opinion Of the military
caste in Germany that but for unto
ward events Germany. after success
full termination Of the present war,
would have to put her industries IN
shape tc furnish war material to both
sides in hypothetical war between
the United States and japan. and then
after both sides had become exhaust
ed, would have Joined hands with one
country to crush the other" The Of
ficer said:
Japan and the United States would
surely clash some day, and we would
then furnish both with enormous
quantities Of material and munitions
We would have extinguished our DEBT
armed ourselves, and at the moment
when the two parties were exhausted
would have Joined one Of them. proba-
bly, Japan, and would have imposed
conditions which we are unable to OBJ
tain at this time.
THE sole hope that remains to me
is that the present German oner is
nothing but feint to SOW discord IN
the camps Of the Allies and to gain
time to reassemble and regroup our
forces"