Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-12-17
THOROUGHLY BEATEN
There Is No Possible Danger OF Re-
newaI Of Hostilities.


What has most struck me since
my arrival in Paris Saturday night
from Germany, writes Walter Durant
in the Philadelphia Ledger, is the re-
currence OF the same question: "Well,
is il really finished? Is there any
chance Of the Boche beginning again.
II / have heard it once, l have heard
it fifty times. frequently from Ameri-
cans or British, and on the lips Of the
French people almost without excep-
ton. At first 1t seemed frankly ridic-
ulous that such an idea could be en-
tertained, but the constant repetition
of it demanded attention.
Whatever may be the reasons from
which the query may arise, / can an
swer it with certainty. based not only
on an investigation of all shades Of
civil and military opinion in occupied
Germany, but on nine months close as
sociation with the French In the con-
duct Of military operations from the
time of the spring disasters to the end
of the victorious campaign.
There Is no danger whatever Of Ger
many re-opening hostilities.
To begin with, an ATTEMPT Is utterly
hopeless from q military standpoint
Even a Prussian captain Of shock di-
vision with whom I talked admitted
readily that the French army alone
could smash them without difficulty.
1t cannot be too widely or too thor
oughly understood that the Germans
asked for an armistice on any terms
the Allies wanted, because they were
defeated In the war. There had not
vet been q colossal debacle. but the
German army leaders knew 1t was in
evitable il hostilities continued.
Germans Beaten to a FRAGILE.
Even before the armistice was sign
ed the revolutionary movements had
broken out, and the bonds Of discipline
were breaking. An attempt to fight on
would simply have meant for Germany
on a vaster and more terrible scale
what happened to Russia In the battle
of July, 1917. No matter what the
Germans or their friends and dupes
may say now or later, the fact remains
that they were completely at the mer-
CIV of the Allies-literally beaten to a
frazzle.
Secondly. I have yet to meet any
one in Germany who would counte-
nance for u moment the mere idea OF
beginning the war again. The Junkers
and militarists might want 1t, but they
know it is impossible. Financial and
commercial classes regard the sugges-
ton with horror, and the mass of the
population have only room at present
for two notions in their heads-food
and peace.
Ont of the chaos of conflicting aims
and opinions toward which the Ger
man empire is drifting daily more
swiftly, three facts emerge with clear
ness.
First. There is no authority or unit
ed combination Of authorities that can
control, lead or even speak for the
whole country.
Second. Their army as a fighting
force is non existent. A great many
soldiers have returned home with or
without leave. and the immensely COM
plex machinery of transport and sup
ply needed for modern war is shatter-
ed beyond repair. Although In some
few units discipline remains good In
the majority Of cases the officers re-
tain their position on sufferance, ana
the Soldiers committee really holds
the reins-in fact. the situation is SIM
liar, but as yet to less ruinous degree
TO what obtained in Russia during the
early part Of 1917.
Food Only for Six Months.
There Is not enough food In
Germany to feed the population for six
weeks without importation from Allied
sources.
The apparent contradiction remark
ed by myself in occupied territory and
by Allied correspondents across the
Rhine that food Is comparatively
abundant Is due to the fact that all the
stocks prepared for winter by the Kali
ser's government or by private specr-
lators for illicit profits have now been
thrown on the market. The Boches
have known that the Allies won't let
them starve and food restrictions have
gone by the board. Where local au-
thorities tried to maintain them there
was q flare-up Of something resemb-
ling Bolshevism which speedily brought
them into line. Germany at present Is
consuming ravenously In six weeks
what would have lasted painfully for
six months.
From the Allied standpoint, this per-
haps Is one of the most favorable fea-
lures of the troublesome problem pre-
sented by the German internal sieua-
ton. II we insist on good behavior as
the price of food. disorder or undesira-
BILE extremism can easily be Suppressed
without the expense or the difficulties
OF military interference.