The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-02

Amsterdam, Feb. 1.-The katser's
government, faced by an sm pire-wide
Bolshevist uprising. has decided to nip
II in the bud by rule Of blood and
ron. II announced today q tighsen-
ing of the state OF siege (marttal iawy
regulations, under which any man or
woman, striker or no striker making
the slightest move creating or aiding
disturbances, will be shot on the spot.
The mailed 6st and starvation have
been enlisted els the military regimes
chief weapons In combating the great
est internal menace that has con-
fronted the empire since it's founda-
ton.
Remember what happened to Ke-
rensky." In the warning watchword OF
the government supporting press. And
the kaiser's military chiefs ars deter
mined to snuff out German Bolshevism
before IL is famed by leniercy into q
holocaust such as devoured the ma
tfonal and territorial entity. the home
front and the battle line of Russia
Berlin's official proclamation reads:
Having introduced more drastic
state Of siege regulations, ws intend
to suppress every attempt to disturb
peace or order by all means at our
disposal. We therefore warn every
orderly citizen not to participate In
any public meetings.
Everyone must quietly carry out
his duties and avoid forming crowds.
II arms must be used. no distinction
will be made between strikers and
othera"
Effect Of Declaration
What has been the effect of this
declaration OF war to the knife on the
German strike. no one knows posi-
lively. Dispatches are conflicting.
Some say 1t has only stirened the
workers determination; others assert
1t Ia doing the trick
The general trend OF today's advtces
from the strife-shaken German capt.
tai inciines to the view that the bayc-
net and the pinch OF hunger nre
breaking, IL they have not yet broken,
the backbone OF the great strike. Most
powerful OF the factors rengthenins
this view wss the reported dtsavowal
on the part OF Scheidem ann and other
Socialist chteftains OF tnstigatiou and
leadership. There were, indeed, some
i dispatches foreshadowing the early
collapse Of the whole movement be.
cause OF lock OF central control.
| AS the situation stands, easily one
million men and women appear to be
idle and hundreds OF plants In all parts
of Germany shut down.
More effective than the "shoot-to~
kflf' order to the troops seerns to be
the hunger weapon. Driven TO Ia
natic'sn by three wears OF inde~
scr'hahle suffering. thousands OF men
and women are ready to Law DOWN
their lives on the altar of pea - ON
| nelling revolt. But their little ones
must live---so per cent 4 German
wcrkren have large families averas-
ing four ch'idren--and every scrap
OF food and fuel IL IN the govern
nerts hands is doled out by the
card system. but only to those who
behave" There ~ third weapon,
equally effective. which the military
authorities TODAY ordered used with
out mercy: the withholding Of strike
benefits without money from the
unions while tho strfks lasts fhs
workers arep unable even to buy the
cards that procure food and fuel.
Nor has anv union great financial re-
sources left. the bulk has been
drafted" into the various war loans
Have Means to Sion It.
As they perused the d'spat.hes pfo-
turing this situation. political OBJ
servers today well realized the grim
; truth In the boast that has come from
:. Herlin daily since the strike started,
that the German government does not
mind the world learning about the
silent upr sing because I'VE have the
means to stop II on short order tho
moment 1t becomes nenAcinx.
Meanwhile. the German efsicfal ax~
gument is. news OF labor trouole n
Germany win encourage the worker2
In tho entente countries,
/ Il u because Of the huo ~ 1G0poe
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