Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-13

ALBERT BALLIN
An autograph letter from the Kai.
ser served to subdue his progres.
siye impulses, says Herr Wilhelm
Muehlon in his remarkable inter.
view
stan to sacrifi ce new hecatombs on the
western front were carried ont i'm the
race OF facts which at last made IL
clear to every German that he was
not defending his country but fighting
simply to rob others of their homes
and Independence. So the Govern and
the general STAFF for once took the
ReiChstag into their confidence
On the eve of the first attack in
FLANDERS the Imperial Chancellor.
Count Hertling, and the Prussian n
Minister Of War, the latter as the rep.
resentative of General Ludentiorff, un.
folded their plans before the so-called
great committee" of the Reichstag
They insisted on the certainty of vic
tory If the offensive We're carried out
ana promised speedy German
peace" bringing undreamed- power
and prosperity to all classes of the
German population which would other.
wise. they said, be doomed to poverty
and privations for a long time after
gave the assembled Reichstag mem
bers clearly to understand that they
were in any case resolved to suppress
all opposition against the continuation
of the war with the utmost military
Nigor.
Repulsive Materialism
II will he worth remembering that
LlIdendOrff's blood thirsty onslaught
OH the Allies in the west found the full
assent OF the Reichstag and that the
representatives of the German people
rilice of hundreds of thousands of men
in the hone of at last realizing their
materialistic ambitions.
A wave of Iepulsive materialism
swept over all Germany. carrying
every one before it. when Ludendortt
poison gas shells began to rain upon
the French. British and American
trenches. The initial successes of the
attack awakened all the evil IMPULSES
Of the German neople which had lair
dormant during the long period of dis
| anpointments since the autumn o
| 1914. Ever since the beCinning of tn
| offensive the entire German press TN
Liberal and Socialist papers as well a
the Conservative organs. has Hoice'
| Ludendorff's promises or Nlctorlou
neace with anueXations and lndennl
ties and Glorified triumphaht fiiiita'
| ism.
THE BRITISH ARMY OVER.
TuROWN; 100, 900 PRISONERS, 500
GUNS CAPTURED"
"ON THE ROAD TO AMIEES.
"INNIFNSE ROOTY IN FLANDERS,
"CI ORIOUS AIR RAIDS ON PARIS
THE MARCH TO THE MARINE
"LITDENDORFF'S TRIUMPH"
These are some of the bombastlt
headlines published during the first
DAYS of the German attack not ny
militarist Pan-German papers. hrt by
the socialstic Norwaerts. And through
all this military frenzy lOomed the one
great dominant hope that had necnmt
almost a certainty to the h!ploIiHe'
German peOple: The capture OF faris
and Calais and the kaisers neace I'M
posed upon PROSTATE Europe!
Press Prussianized
few DAYS before the second phase
Of Iudendorff's offensive set in witt
the attack in Champagne on the
| French and American troops the
Frankfurter Zeitung. the great Ger
man liberal" newspaper. wrote:
The ideal aim of GERMAN strategy
i'm this offensive is the military dis
armament Of our foes. our gen
eral staff intends nothing less than
the destruction of the British and
French armies, Our great 'eaders
no longer deny that such ls their
wonderful plan. and they are anso-
Iutelv certain Of being able To real
ize II.
simultaneously the official Wolf
Bureau published the following state
ment I'm a report on the military situa
tion:
The intention of the general staff
is to effect the complete and definite
destruction of the military power OF
France and England
The VorwaerIs finally, in a sensa
tionsl editorial. confessed the uncor
ditionaI surrender Of the German So
cialiSts to Ludendorff in these terms
A peace Of compulsion, imposed
upon our enemies by force of arms,
will leave many international prob
lens unsoIved: it will be a source of
new dangers ard place the govern
ments Of the future before the very
greatest difficulties. However, so be
il. if there be but peace. Now there
Is no other way to obtain peace but
by victory on the battlefield, which
has been promised us.
Even the Independent Socialists
those solitary upright nshteFs aSalnS
Prussian niilitaTtsm, were forced l.
bow before the hurricane of chauviu
ism sweeping over Germany. Shortl,
before the beginning of the offensive
number of their candidates had bee
signally defeated in elections in Prus
sia and SaXony. Evidently deepl
impressed by this manifestation O
popular dissent. the Leipziger Nolk'
zeitung. the chief Independent orgar
published the following declaration:
1t is an infamous calumnY to say
that the Independent Socialist party
desires the defeat of the German
armies and does not wish Germany
to be stronger after the war and 10
stand firmly among the nations in
the future. Every conscientious and
honest politician must recognize that
the Independent Socialists do not
and cannot hope for victory of this
Entente.
; Offensive Gigantic Failure
These various statements are wort
, recording, because they reveal IL
spirit of materialistIc unity and Il