The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-12-20
ONLY POOR SUFFERING
Gross Overeating Of German
Rich to Be Restricted to
Lessen Relief Burden.
(London Times. Phil. Ledger Cop. Cable. J
(By Perry Robinson.)


ready going about their work as II
they had lived there for weeks, the
population accepting their presence
with singular unconcern.
Sometimes one catches the eye OF
n man or woman which Is ablaze
with hatred. How could 1t be other
wise? But have met with no single
discourteous word or gesture In Ger
many. Half the people seem curious
and the other half indifferent. The
children cheer the British troops and
not seldom wave their hands.
BaffIed by Luxury.
In Solingen everywhere one Is
baffled by the appearance OF plenty,
even luxury, In the shops and confec-
toners windows. Yet the people
complain of the slenderness OF ration
and are honestly uneasy over the
immediate outlook. The army had
enormous stocks of food in the areas
behind the front, but these were pill
laged and wasted when the great COL
lapse began. Reserve troops on the
lines of communication broke loose
and robbed the trains and plundered
the depots. squandering the stored
food or selling 1t to the inhabitants
for paltry prices. In the area vis-
tied today the ration recently was re-
duced to one-half pound of bread.
one pound Of potatoes daily and
three -tenths of a pound Of meat each
week. was told in Solingen the
supplies would last between two and
three weeks. All Of this region is
prosperous industrial country,
where the activity is great and earn
ings were large during the war. The
very poor are few and 1t Is only the
very poor who have yet suffered.
Always Gross Feeders.
The Germans as q nation were al
ways gross feeders. Those who can
afford IL here feed grossly now and
seem to have done so throughout the
war. The actual bulk of food set
before one in whatever restaurant
one enters is so large that at first |
wondered whether 1t was a tribute
to our uniforms and more than an
ordinary civilian would get. This
was not SO. The maes OF weli-to- do
people who FREQUENT the hotels, res
taazln qtD and tea shops arc oyetnAL.
Ing 'fhemsslvea tbday Just nSs they
always have overeaten In peace
times. This opinion Is that OF every
British officer now in this part of
Germany. What is more, It is the
conviction also of the poorer masses.
Throughout the war we captured let
ters numbering many thousand In
the aggregate written by people In
Germany complaining bitterly over
the indulgence of the rich while the
poor were suffering for food. Since
coming here ] found this belief was
universal among the pooret classes
and Is one of the chief causes OF
popular discomfort in Germany to-
day. Hatred against the hamster,
the man who boarded food and sold
1t privily to the gluttonous rich, and
of the hamster's patrons is the
strongest of all the mixed elements
which have manured the ground for
the seed of bolshevsm and revolu-
ton That one class should pamper
itself to waste the common stock of
provisions so that the poor must suf-
fer and then throw on us the burden
of feeding those poor Is obviously
grossly unjust, but 1t does not lessen
the hardships of the poor to whose
cry, whatever our contempt for the
rich may be, we shall respond in hu-
manity's name.
Would Tamper With Troops.
Something like an organized effort
is being made to tamper with our
troops through agents who lived in
England and now make friends with
our men and preach bolshevist doc
trines to them. The authorities Of
our army are aware of what is being
done and there is no evidence their
efforts will be likely to meet with the
smallest success but 1t Is a thing
that needs dealing with firmly.
ceremony small but significant
took place when the commander in
chief Of the British armies met the
British allied war correspondents at
Hohenzollern bridge across the Rhine
and said good-by. 1t was a formal
recognition of the fact that the war
correspondents work was done. Field
Marshal Haig stood below the great
statue of the kaiser in all his POM
pousness as war lord, with his head
still turned away from the unpleas-
ant scene going on below. The field
marshal, after greeting each corre-
spondent, made n short speech to
each group, British, allied, neutrals
and Americans in turn. thanking
them for their services. Saying good
by, he presented each correspondent
with Union Jack.
French Anxious.
The Italians and the French are
plainly anxious to fix "a program as
soon as possible. and are disappont-
ed that the political affairs in Eng
land are such as to compel the de-
lay In the coming of the British del
egates. The informal preliminary
conferences cannot be held. of
course, until the British ENJOYS ar
rive here.
There is some confusion over the
program OF the presidents visit to
England. but It Is now believed that
he VIII journey to London before the
first OF the year.
President Wilson must return to
Washington before March 4, when
the present congressional session
will expire. This Is n constitutional
necessity. In view OF the newly de.
clipping situation. the American ex-
ecutive may postpone his visit TO
Rome. gong to that city on his way
home. II this program Is adopted.
Mr.. Wilson may sail from an ITALIAN
port instead OF a French or British
port.
However. the presidential plans
for departure home have not yet
been definitely fixed.
Russia's Part.
There has been much speculation
as to tho part that Russia may play
in the reacc negotiations. Many
british politicians favor joint action
by the allied nations in settling tho
different l'oblems presented by this
country. In this connection II IS nm
derstood that Col. f. M. House has
been asked to define President VIII
sons attitude on Russia, but replied
that he was unable to do SO.