Evening star., 1918-08-20

/ iy fruitful as well as for the senseless
and pernicious ones.
| Germany's fate in and after the
war wa Nv VIII nrh,iGgy largely depend on whether
for otherwise. though we might be
outwardly victorious. we would be
about to collapse and would never be
able to fulfill our real woFld-mission.
hold out against our internal and for
eign enemies, the most dangerous of
| which is always the Infamous lie
In these words which he wrote in
confidence to Hindenburg. the man is
| revealed.
For in the change which came over
him one thing YET remained to him:
his glowing love for the German pso-
pie. 1t only became more real and
more profound. when the man who had
longer looked for the people In the
| officers casino. but In the workshop.
when he acquired an understanding
for the ambition of the masses to
reach a state Of greater justice. To
help this people to advance along this
, path seemed to him to be a task in
the fulfillment of which one should not
fear Imprisonment and death. His
his actions may be hasty. indiscFet.
in personal instances rash and un-
fair-all of this we may leave open to
question. But for the rest. he is a
JuHhST, VINO, aIteT ne mas 1TeeQ nlm-
self entirely from the junker stand
point. has retained his courage as a
civilian.
What Won Beerfelde Believed.
Won Beerfelde believed that he
could save his people from any furth-
er horrors of war. but unfortunately
danger in his actions and said that he
would push the fatherland into the
abyss. But fortunately he cannot do
that either. Was 1t necessary. was It
wise to present this captain Of the
general stan. this knight Of fhe
world as q traitor and to add this
important figure to the list Of mar
tyrs of the peace movement!
Won Beerfelde is strongly an
tagonistic to his former superior. the
ing general. Lieut.. Col. Nikeiai. This
antagonism may possibly have
aroused him to use expressions and
make statements which are unten-
able. Wisdom alone should have
told him to limit himself to what
could be proved-that Is to say, to
the fact that in the proceedings
against Won Beerfelds Lieut.. Col Niko-
lai changed his testimony in the most
striking manner. Won Reerfelde was
arrested at the time because Lieut..
SOi- ENlholdi hdu 6S6SFtcd THAT no ndQ
forbidden him all political activity
and he was acquitted. because this
assertion could not be maintained
Classed as "Daredevil.n
"All in all, this man. who was ac-
quilted by law and who has now bsen
arrested again. is Q daredevil and .
believer. . man who finds white so
white and black SO black. who trusts
easily. but when disappointed credits
his opponent, who has been found out,
with the worst, q valiant captain. a
splendid man. big child. Neither the
acting general stan nor the army nor
the German people need be ashamed
of this man against whom a shame
full charge has been made.
THAT Capt. Won Beerfelde IL said
to have done something which the
judges might consider as coming un-
der section eighty-nine Of the penal
code seems Quixotic enough. One may
rest assured that he has done moth
ing the sense Of justice Of the people
will adjudge of treason. We may,
however. not rest assured about the
effects of proceedings In which the
people, to quote Marx, sees the pun
ishment, but not the crime and fer
that reason alone this time no secret
action should again be taken against
Capt. Won Beerfelde, a. been done
twice before"