Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-18

The German people. at home in the
line, have suffered and endured much
in the four long years of the war.
The war has deeply disturbed and in
jured the sentiments Of the people
and the whole national morale
The blockade of determination and
starvation, and the enemy propagan-
da, which have operated in close as
ISOLATION in the fight against the Ger
man people were a heavy burden,
and a burden that grew ever heavier
as the war lasted. The blockade
worked successfully. Propaganda,
which had found fruitful soil at home,
now (early in 1910 turned its atten-
ton directly to the men at the front,
who also We're now receptive.
Blockade and propaganda began
gradually to undermine our spirits,
and to shake the belief in ultimate
victory. The eminently justified
longing for peace began to assume
forms that bordered on Weakness di-
viding the people and depressing the
morale of the army.
Poisonous weeds grew on this soil.
All German sentiment, all patriotism,
died in many breasts. The ego came
to the front. The war profiteer of
every variety, not excluding the po-
litical type, which took advantage of
the countrys danger and the govern
ments weakness to snatch political
and personal advantages, spread wider
and wider Our spiritual capacity to
continue was intellectually weakened.
We lost confidence in ourselves.
The idea of revolution, preached by
enemy propaganda and by the Boil
sheviks, found the Germans in a re-
Ceptive frame of mind, and gained
ground in the army and navy through
the Independent socialists. Heresy
grew among the broad masses of our
people. The German people, at home
and the front, had received a DEATH
blow.
When | was appointed quartermas-
ter general, Germany was just at the
beginning of this development, and
it's future course could not be prophe-
sled. One thing, however, was ahso-
lutely certain, that we could not watch
it as idle spectators.
Something had now been achieved
against the starvation blockade; we
had broken through it in Rumania
Nobody knew whether we would ever
have another chance to break through
or how we would use It.
Germans Furnished Phrase Which
Proved Deadly at Home.
Before the enemy propaganda we
were like a rabbit before a snake. II
was exceptionally clever and WORKED
on a very large scale. Its suggestions
| had a strong effect on the masses; II
| worked well together with the actua
campaigning, and was unscrupulous
as to the means 1t used.
| The German people. who had no
vet learned the art or the value OF
silence, had. in its blameworthl
| frankness, shown by it's speech, it:
| writings and it's actions, the best line
| of attack for the enemy propaganda
The German people had itself coin
ed the phrase. "Prussian militarism,
although this very Prussian militar
| ism, the spirit of selfish loyalty, tht
surrender of the individual to thu
conception of the state, had created
Prussia and achieved for Germany it
magnificent development. People mis-
toow unessential phenomena for tn,
essence of militarism and failed t
appreciate the national strength
4 which rested therein 1t should no
have been resisted. but encouraged.
Even high officials of the govern
ment used the word reproachfully t,
me during the war so that one cai
hardly blame the many who though
they were acting wisely in turninl
against "militarism," even if the,
could not tell clearly the meaning o
the word True. many a man knew
! full we'll what the end of such figh
was; authority was at stake,
Ententc's Aim Was Sure.
The entente knew quite we'll tn
: strength of this "Prussian Miltarism.
} 1t knew why it fought against it.
knew, too, what it was doing when
stirred up the Germans against thei
officers, in the last resort the sup
porters of the power of the state.
acted with sure aim when it works.
against Prussia in South Germany