Evening journal., 1919-02-06
HINDY Will KEEP
THE HUNS QUIET
Army Has Had Battles
Enough. General Tells
u. S. Correspondent
JUNKERS HOPE FOR
FUTURE OF REPUBLIC

Germany ana plans 10 brihg hhc GA
Kaiser back are being printed. c. C.
Lyon, n. Z. A. staff correspondent, who
was in Germany for weeks right after
the signing Of the armlstice and who
has lust returned 10 America, writes
the following clear story OF just how
things stand in Germany.
By c. c. LYON.
~ e. A. StaY Correspondent.
Al least so times since ] came back
from Berlin have been asked this
question by Americans. Frenchmen or
Britishers:
DO the Germans realize they are
licked3"
And my reply has been: "Yes and
No"
THE men who did the actual night
ing-ofilcers and common soldiers. and
their families. haven't the slightest
doubt that Germany was at the end
OF her string when the armistice was
signed and that her armies would have
been annihllated II the war had gone
on long enough. They know they are
licked and accept the wars verdict In
such a light
but | found while In Germany that
the old Junker class-the large land
owners and captains OF Industry who
had fattened and grown prosperous
through the maintenance OF the mill
tarism system, won't let themselves ad-
nit that the Allies licked Germany.
"These Junkers are the thickheads
and reactionaries who were the flnan-
clal power behind mllitarlsm who, for
nearly nifty years. by controlling busi-
ness and public opinion. the latter
through a subservlent press, were able
TO press-agent the masses OF the en-
tire nation into the belief that the
only way the German people could
prosper and grow great was by mill
tary oppression over weaker peoples
These Junkers still secretly hope that
the formation OF a German republic
will fail and that the day will come,
perhaps not sOon,-bpt ultimately. when
Germany win go back 10 the old sys-
tenn and they will again begin rebuild
ing the military Idea"
After my interviews with Marshal
Hindenburg and General Groener, the
latter Ludendorrs successor. at Cassel.
had no misgiving whatever as TO how
they felt about the outcome Of the
war.
Hlndenburg himself didn't appear TO
have an ounce OF flght left In him.
and. do his best. he could not hide the
telltale evidences In his face that he
was a broken-hearted man.
Hindenburg, ! am sure. will never
again advise the German people TO try
hn
to me at Cassel convinces me he
knows it can't be done. And as Ions
as Hindenburg and his chief generals
are alive don't believe the world will
have much 10 fear from Germany IN
a military way.
Groener was equally frank In adj
hitting defeat.
"You had us completely exhausted" |
he said. "You cut our lines OF com |
and squeezed us into such
narrow bottle that we couldn't get
'ood 10 our troops. We had TO quit"
The best evidence had that the
masses OF the German people know
they are whipped and that all the light
they ever had has been taken out OF
them came from the common soldiers
themselves.
Within a week after the armistice was
signed more than six hundred thousand /
OF them, I was told In Berlin. had de-
serted the army and had gone home /
20 their families.
Why didn't the officers arrest them |
AMI bring them back7
Because the officers were AFRAID OF
the men who had done the actual flght-
ing
The great internal busi-up in Ger
many came largely through the fact
that the millions OF soldiers. when they
went home on leave. found their wives
and children starving and they went
back TO the trenches thinking: what
am | flghting for. and what will get
out OF It II Germany wlns2 Nothing.
The Kaiser and the Junkers will get
everything"
That Is one reason why, In the last
days OF the war hundreds Of thousands
or Germans quit cold and surrendered
at the frst opportunity. refusing to
1ght."
And had wives tell me they had
advised their husbands 10 surrenderl
What the world has 10 fear IS the
unker class-the Krupps and landed
nd business aristocracy who made
lDllons out OF the war. They want the
ood old days-for them-to come
ack. They've, been kicked out OF
over for the present but they're 70
enting trouble. They don't want re-
lblic.
The folks who have grabbed the
ins are anything but militarists. |
ley'll likely keep on lighting among
emselves for some time, but they
mt want any more world fights be-
use they know Germans only chanre
T the future lies In behaving herself /: