New-York tribune., 1919-02-18
Germany viii Collapse if
the Suggested sndemnities
Are imposed, They Say
Think Ebert Trustworthy
Train Service Demoralized;
Trip Formerly Made in
7 Hours Now Takes 80
Bx ". c. Dreher
Nc,r York Tribune
SocriuI CCbIe Sc;-,.ics

Ncr yoro Tribune
Spccidi Cable Scrrice
,,..,.-.s,-. l9ie Sew York Tribune. Inc)
BERLIN ,via Copenhagen), Feb. IA.
have visited the Berlin Boursc,
where had an opportunity to meet a
~umber Of leading bankers. was the
srs+ American visitor on the floor
SINCE the United States entered the
.c.r found the fnanciers exceed
inglv appreheusive about lndemnitles'
~lSo,,;1r insisting that the Paris peace
s.o,fere,ce is unaware OF Germany's
nftor financial exhaustion, and the i'm
n,inent danger Of collapse if the fnan-
c;al peace conditions are too severe.
One banker said:
~Germanv's position is that of q
bankrunt with the sheriff at the door
to attach the furniture. The only COM
Portable reelection we can make is
tbat the Allies must, from sheer self
interest. keep us upon our feet eco
nomicallv. Else they viii be able to
collect NO iademnitics whatsoever"
Bankers arc naturally non-socialIs-
tic but when asked their opinion of
,be rev President, Friedrich Ebert,
,lev replied .hat he was a solid, trust
worthy man who would keep the coun-
try from extreme measures.
Dark Outlook Depicted
The bankers are fully reconciled ia
gbert's proposed naturalization by
cautious experiment of essential indus
ries They have no fear of bad
result from the nation acquiring the
coal mines and monopolizlng the elcc-
trical plants. One, who was a con-
yinced democrat long before the Kaiser
fell and was of wholly pacific tenden-
cIes long before Germany lost the war
depicts Gormany's future in the dark
est shades. He sees utter ruin if the
Entente indemnities reach the figures
suggested by Entente extremists.
Even the richest banker Will not be
worth penny he said. "Our own
people do not half realize the desperate
night of Germany They dance and
make merry while the hangman waits
at the door
Then he interjected sharp impre-
cation upon the ex-Kaiser and upor
Ludendorff for failing to see that Ger
many had lost when America entered
the war and not offering then to make
peace on Americas terms.
All this food of pessimism proceeded
while noisy brokers on the Boerse were
crying down Germany's war loans il
ecnnection with the peace conference
reports
Train Service Demoralized
Evidence Of Germany's economic dc.
c.lne Is idespread. The railway jour
fey from Copenhagen to Berlin, which
before the war was done in seven
heurs now requires thirty-six. This
NAN route between Berlin and Scandi
Hsya, which in prc-War days had fine
through trains each way daily, now
has none. Traffic is by slow stages
with frequent stops
Passengers aljght at midnight at
Aeastrelitz to sleep four hours before
resuming the journey TO Berlin, only
sixty miles distant. The locomotives
are OF small antiquated type. seeming
10 have come from the museum of
railway antiquities.
The passengers at first looked better
led than had Anticipated. My ex-
preSsions Of surprise elected the an
swer:
This is Mecklenbcrg, largely an ag-
ricultural section Wait till you sec
Berlin and the crowded industrial sec
lions of Saxony. There you VIII see
people fully run down"
Upon superficial investigation here
i a1pears that The food shortage is
really serious. The government has
adopted plan Of somewhat increasing
lslions apon the hope of obtaining
1efeign supplies later. II this specu-
'at.on is disappointed conditions will
grow worse.
This picture Of the German
'ate OF mind. L. is presented for
what it : worth