The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-26
How LIE ENEMY 80.

the edge of the German spear the German people and
press have become more and more pessimistc Despite
the organized efforts of the to shut off the
current of pessims it flows in everincreasng volume
and force Chancellor Hertng has been forced to take
notice of the "deep discomfort" of the people.
The German newspapers are notably outspoken, al
though one or two of them were temporarily suppressed
for audacous utterances. The latest frank admission
that the German arms have met their match is made
by the influential Cologne Gazette which reviews the
allied victories in the vest and in Palestine and Mace
who has obtained strategic unity on all fronts The
Gazette remarks upon the superiority of the allies in
power and gun power and then adds:
We have already pointed out the enviable Sc
crecy observed in the manufacture of armored
tanks and the training of their crews, which
number not thousands, but tens of thousands. To
these must be added the increase in the number
of guns, mine throwers, flame projectors machine
guns, gas and fog ammunition and airplanes of all
kinds. No proof is necessary that German in
dustry is unable to accomplish this in similar
quantities Especially regards the armored
tanks there is no doubt that the numerical superb
GRITTY is the side of the enemy and that he is
bound to utilize it to the utmost.
This is typical expression of the new and chastened
spirit that pervades Germany The peoples eyes are
opening So widespread is the reaction since the allies
thrust the enemy back that the government makes no
disguise of the impaired national morale Every device
is seized upon to stimulate the people to further sacr
fee Yet there is strong element which takes it
for granted that Germany will lose the war. The
Deutsche Stmmen the national liberal weekly in re-
cent issued alluded to this element follows:
In Germany at present the illogical pessimists'
exercising the greatest influence upon public
opinion These logical pessimists indicate that we
only fear a deterioration in the present situa-
ton from continuation of the They say
that if we do not succeed in ending the polit-
caly this year by victory in the west it will be abb
solutey impossible to do in future years be-
cause the host Of Americans fighting against
will grow, and the technical superiority of
enemies will grow also. They ask where there is
still any prospect of victorious peace. Such
views in letters to party leaders and letters
to the editors of newspapers.
The Deutsche Simmer does what it can to answer
this argument of the '1ogica pessimists" But it can
offer little, and finally it abandons the effort and winds
up with this appeal to blind faith:
Not the logic of reason but the faith which
moves mountains is ultimately the thing that is
necessary IN war, in order to maintain the nerves
of the people at the high tension of endurance to
the last moment ultimately this alone makes VIC
tory possible for the diplomatists
Another witness is Herr Bacmeiser, editor Of the pan
German weekly Das Grossere Deutschland who discusses
the for the palpabe and alarming decline in
German morale He suggests that the main cause Of
pessmsm is military failure after the war lords had
assured the people that victory was at hand He then
pictures conditions in Germany:
One must admit that things are not easy for
the German people in their fight for the mainte-
nance of the necessary morale. England's
nomic has produced conditions in Germany
which are difficult to bear, and which hardly
be borne at all in state of depression Con-
ditions which are gladly suffered in enthusiasm
for a great idea are felt without such enthusiasm
to be an intoerable burden. The economic
ganizaton of the German empire has not been
able to create the belief in national necessity;
it has made mistake after mistake, and its con-
duct has simply attracted the hatred of large parts
Of the population The feelings of the masses are
dominated by anger with the food administration
and by daily Thus the organization has
produced the exact opposite of what it hoped to
achieve by the so-called system of just dstribu-
ton. &.
One of the strong witnesses who testfes to the inn
pending breakdown of German spirit is Hindenburg
himself in his frantic proclamation to the German peo
pie early this month. He speaks of the damaging in
roads of allied propaganda and abuses the allies for
carrying this propaganda at the moment when Ger
man morale is ALREADY sorely tried by disappointment
in battle. The enemy seeks to poison spirit" says
Hindenburg's manifesto. "He bombards our 'front.' not
only by drumfre of artillery, but also with drum
fire of printed paper Besides bombs that kill the body
his armen throw down leaflets that are intended to kill
the soul"
Hindenburg states that the "feld-gray men" found
and delivered to the German command $4,000 leaflets
in May, 10000 in June and 100000 in July He ex-
claims:
gigantic increase! Ten thousand poisoned
daily in July; 10000 times daily the at
tempt to deprive the individual and the whole
body of belief in the justice of our cause and of
the strength and confidence for ultimate victory!
We reckon in addition that great part of the
enemy leaflets will not have been found by u.s.
The manifesto asks all Germans to be on guard against
nsidons allied namnhlets which attack the Hnhsnznlen