The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-08-23

huiuenhTcHeh Idu plenty OF time I'd
review all that had happened.
How different everything was after
the first year of the war! Ny here
town, once n lively country settlement
was now as calm as Il graveyard. In
this town, which had n population be-
fore the war of 5000 souls, more than
40 had been killed and many others
crippled. Food was very high with lit
| tie to be had.
There was no enthusiasm for the war
manifest anywhere. The people We're
| downhearted, stunned.
1t was the same in other cities. The
| longing for peace was universal yet no
one talked of peace or expressed the
desire for ii.
One word spoken, which displeased
the autocratic government. merited the
| severest punishment. That Is how 1t Is
| to be explained that the German peo-
pie cannot force the Hohenzollerns into
peace because the government, with
assistance of the military, smothered
every expression of peace with blood,
even at that early date.
The present Prussian government
will slaughter any German citizen to
further its own interests in the same
way that 1t attacked the innocent pop
ulation of Belgium without regard.
With clean conscience and clean
hands
Scott strafe England. Err list strafe
es!"
Going through the streets this was
heard right and left as comment and
a reply
To me, fresh from the front, this
kind of greeting was unknown.
Presently l learned the reason of
this modern form of salutation. The
hatred within the German nation was
not SO great toward France and Rus
STA.
The people quietly accepted the enor-
nous sacrifices which the war demand
ed from them in course of time.
But the government, which even
then, foresaw the unfavorable course
the war was taking, conceived the idea
Of setting England UP as the arch
enemy which intended to destroy Ger
many entirely.
The German war machine made use
of the blockade which England drew
around Germany to such an extent.
| playing upon child murder, so-called,
that the people developed an ever-in-
creasing hatred toward England.
The French language was no longer
spoken anywhere. A large part of the
German people formerly used the
French word "adieu," as farewell ex-
preston but that was stopped. Care
had to be taken in the use of this word
to avoid arrest on a charge Of high
| treason.
l thought about these things as I
neared my temporary destination. I
was sufficiently acquainted with the
border so that when l arrived in Kali
denkirchen / was able to reach it with
out asking any questions. The spot
which l had selected for crossing lay
in a forest After march Of two
hours 1 arrived near the border. 1t
was soon dark and decided to remain
in the woods over night.
The next morning at daylight I ven-
tured on and without being seen by the
guards l crossed into Dutch territory.
With a sigh Of relief arrived at the
next town, VenlO, in Holland.
Everywhere / was received in a
friendly manner. I observed that the
Dutch people hated the German people
as much as did.
After passing several months in
Holland, where tens of thousands more
German deserters lived, I made UP. my
mind to move farther away than that
| from Germany for the arms Of the Ger
man government are long and its spies
are everywhere in most cases con-
scienceless criminals.
| Some of my Dutch friends made me
acquainted with sailors and these con.
scented to smuggle me to America on
their ship. When the ship departed ]
was placed i'm the coal bunkers and ar
rived after IA days in New York, safe
and y,ell.
The first thing that struck me on ar.
| irving in the United States was the
wide latitude permitted German propa.
ganda.
| Most Of the German papers pub.
| lished here were body and soul for the
| kaiser and tried daily to justify the
German fight for the German cause.
In this respect the government In
| Washington certainly went too far un.
| I'll IL was realized that no concessions
could be made to the Prussian govern
ment and that concessions made to
Washington were nothing but deceitful
talk. sustained only by action when II
served its interests OF Imperialism.
The promises which the German gov
eminent made to Washington concern
ing the Lusitania case. the U-boat war
fare and so forth. were nothing hut de-
ceit on the part Of the Berlin govern
ment.
1t was the desire to preserve peace
for the American people which inn
PEELED President Wilson, again and
again, not to declare war and IL Amer