Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-03
TRADE DISASTER
FOR GERMANY Is
FORESEEN BY HUN

FORESEEN BY HUN
! Sidney, observation-disclosures
ence of the Associated Press Al
bert Balm, general director of the
( Hamburg American Steamship COM
pany, who is reported to have
committed suicide just before the
! signing of the armistice, had pre-
dicted disaster for the German ov-
! erseaS trade as an outcome OF the
war. This is disclosed by the pub
LEGATION here of a letter which Herr
{ Balm had written in December,
] 1917, apparently to DR.. Rothenau,
/ privy councillor at Berlin A
/ copy of this letter was made pub
+ lie here by J. NJ. Paxton, a resident
/ of Sydney, who received it from &
friend in London In it Balm de-
clared that whether Germany or
England was victorious in the war
/ the consequences to German for
( eign trade would be disastrous.
/ The letter reads in part:
/ Most of what we read in the
newspapers as to our preparedness
/ for embarhng on brisk trade and
manufactures as soon as peace has
/ been concluded is, l fear, written
with the manifest intention of
heartening our people who are no
/ tOriOusiy ignorant of our actual
( economic conditions and all that
threatens them"
! He said that the German mer-
camille marine was III a perilou5
condition. and that the bill to re-
establish and strengthen it. which
at the time OF writing was before
reichStag, would show 10 results
for at last five years. In that
time Germany's great maritime
competitors. Britain and United
States and Japan and the neutrals,
Norway, Denmark ana Holland
would profit enormously.
Balm reminded his friend that
he tBallinD vainIy begged Berlin
authorities not to engage in unre-
stricted submarine warfare; and
he continued:
You and l know that the Ameri-
cans are probably the most idealis-
tic nation on the earth's surface.
In antagoniZing America we have
done disastrous thing, a thing
which will throw d cold shadow on
our economic life for a generation"
/ The latter part OF Ballin's letter
ran:
But If I am concerned about our
relations with the United States, 1
am still more anxious about oar
relations with Britain. 1 realize IS
never before that all the increase
in our wealth, all the success WhiCn
attended our enterprises in the
year before the war, were owing 10
our intercourse with the British
empire. Her home ports, her do
miniOns and colonies were freely
opened to our shippers and traders.
Sometimes l wondered at this gen.
erosity, and even called it folly. Is
it to be imagined for a moment
that those old relations Will re-
turn?
q am not to be supposed. dear
Herr Geheimrat, (Privy CounCilor)
as saying one word in favor Of
Britain's policy in this war. be
lieve that she entered it from some
base motives.
Consider what we are risking.
We look forward to resUming our
cancellations on this. How are we
to resume it in face of an anglo
saxondom which Ioathes and must
iOathe our presence among them.
But we must beat England, you
say. no matter what the conse-
ouence. I agree. All l say is that
whether we beat her or she beats
US the consequences will be the
same-disasteT to our oversee trade
if Britain so wills it. We may, IN
the event of victory, impose all
sorts of conditions securing us
characterization treatment, Sc
curing us free entry into British
ports everywhere. No sane man
believes that these conditions will
help us.
with a hostile British empire.
CALLED and fretted with our military
success, raging at its losses, hope
lessIy alienated, how are we TO
procure the raw material which this
empire alone can supply. That
great empire is self-contained and ,
we are not, and all the militarv
victories and all the wild wiI-o'-
the-wisps about Hamburg to Bag |
dad will not help us"
Herr Balm dieu suddenly in Ber-
lin on Nov. 8. The cause of his |
death has not been officially stated, !
but it has been reported that he |
had been summoned to the German |
army headquarters and criticized |
by General Ludendorf-for opposing
plans of the military party and that
Balm then appealed to the then
German emperor who sustained
Ludendorf's statements, and sug-
gested that Balm either adopt them
or retire from public life. There
after. according to reports, Balm
appeared to be greatly depressed n
spirit Some reports received IN
London stated that he had commit
ed suicide.