Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-03-23
GERMANS ALREADY
TALK OF NEW WAR
! II COLONIES TAKEN
.. p. Correspondent Finds Lit
tie Change in Peoples Atti-
tude as Individuals; Neither
Despairing Nor Inundated.
BY FRANK J. TAYLOR.

forces the conviction that neither war
from without nor revolution from
within has worked any psychological
metamorphosis of Germany as ma
tion, or of Germans as individuals.
Neither the strength nor the weak
nesses of the German people evidences
any transformation. The minds which
accept and apply the terms of peace
will differ but little from those which
steered' the successful course of the
German empire up to August, 1914.
The revolution has changed the
form of government. 1t has not
changed the governed. The waf has
brought to Germany defeat, disaster
and restitution. 1t has not brought
despair nor humiliation. A half dozen
speakers at the National Assembly in
Weimar voiced the general feeling of
the people when they said, in effect:
we have not been defeated mill
tarily. Hunger and the revolution
forced us to quit. We accepted Pres-
dent Wilson's IA points and demobil-
lied voluntarily; according to the pro-
visions of the armistice."
The foreign Offices policies and the
attitude of it's individual secretaries
are unchanged; its personnel is prac-
tically the same as before the revolu-
ton, though the officials all profess to
be democrats. Flow they claim they
opposed the war, especially employ
ment of ''frightfulness."
Count Bernstorff is considered by
many well-informed Germans to be the
man who is really running the foreign
office, with his cousin. Count Brock
dorff- Rantzau. chief in name only
The Germans feel that Brockdorff-
Rantzau's speech outlining the nation s
foreign policy marked a new era in
diplomacy because he stated frankly
what the Germans consider modest
These included retention of the Ger
man colonies, plebisite for Alsace-
Lorraine, repatriation of German war
prisoners and reparation for damages
only.
CENSORSHIP CONTINUED.
Ostensibly, the censorship was re-
moved with establishment of the pres
ent government. Yet priority of news
dissemination is still preserved as an
exclusive and monopolistic privilege
of the Wolff bureau, which was the
semi official propaganda agency I'M
der the old regime. Foreign newspa-
per correspondents dispatches are held
up six hours after the same informa-
ton is obtained by Wolff. This guaran-
tees to that organization the oppor-
tunity of giving the world it's first, and
thereby its strongest, impression of
any internal German situation.
NO German making the first pre-
tense at frankness will attempt to
create the impression that the dis
astrous results of 1914-191s have Gre
ated any deep-seated aversion to
militarism among the German people.
Men and women both in and out OF
government circles, talk very casually
of another war of revenge against
France If Alsace Lorraine is taken
from Germany. They refer to this
possibility as though it is to be ac-
cepted by everyone as logical mat
ter of fact
Imperialistic. even monarchistic, ut
terances during the Nat 'onal Assehb-
ly meetings have stirred up no op-
position from the delegates, except
the radicals. For instance, Count
Posadowski, conservative leader de
Tended Bismarckism. He advocated
re- establishing the old regime, which
he called the most benevolent and adj
vanced government in the world. The
delegates, save for a few radicals,
listened blandly while Posadowski de-
clared that a monarchy is the best
form of government.
NEW PROPAGANDA.
In addition to the Wolff bureaus in
fuence on foreign propaganda, there
Is now a new government department
which Is daily furnishing the people
with inspired opinion through the
press. The theme of this propaganda
Is: There has been no revolution in
Germany--just new form of gov
eminent" with the exception of gov
eminent organs. the press refuses to
take the National Assembly very
seriously.
A number of younger employees who
Joined the government through ideal
istic motives are switching to the radi-
calls believing that real revolution is
coming when the industrial workers
and soldiers councils decide that their
expectations are not to be fulfilled.
These elements are thoroughly organ
lied and refuse to relinquish an iota
Of their power, though a representa-
tive republic has been established, be-
cause they apparently mistrust the
motives of the coalition leaders,
The situation In Germany, without
doubt. Is critical as regards food. in
dustry and finance. but this does not
seem to have effected any radical
change in the psychology of the gem
eral public Public opinion throughout
the country does not fix the guilt for
the war upon Germany. nor upon the
ousted ruling class. 1t does not ac-
knowledge German military defeat
Germans believe they are in their
present position because--as their
propaganda tells them--their idealism
led them 70 lay down their arms and
crust Wilsop