The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-14
TALKING ABOUT
WAR OF REVENGE
Germans Not Yet Convinced That
They Lost War Because They
Were Defeated on
Field.
CAMPAIGN OF HATRED
Natives are Being Stirred Up Against
France as They Never
Had Been Be-
"a. fore.
CAMPAIGN OF HATRED
by Frank J. Taylor, United Press
Staff CorresnOndentl

[By Frank ]. Taylor, United Press
Staff Correspondent
BERLIN. March 20-(By MaiD.-
! German psychology has always bar
J fled the rest of the world, or at least
those who tried to understand why
German thought as he did. The
world is due for still worse BAT
fling, 1t it tries to understand what
goes on in the German mind today.
Mentally the German mind, sud
denly thrown upon its own resources
by the fall OF the old system which
fed people thoughts as well as food,
has gone wild. Under the stain OF
the war and due to the sudden
changes, the Germans have become
childlike psychologically. This is
/ taking Germans generally.
Thoughtful, serious Germans, when
you occasionally find them, realize
the temporary insanity, II 1t can be
called that, under which the Ger
mans as a nation are struggling.
It is the only way of understanding
the lack Of realization as to the real
condition of things, wave OF which
has swept Germany, No one looks
farther than his nose, and every
man and woman Is interested en-
tirely in his or her immediate self
There is little broad vision expressed
in papers, in speeches, or In personal
/ opinions as you hear them in Ger
many.
! To cite specific cases: The peace
and why 1t was signed is one of the
German delusions. Practically every
man. woman and child believes Ger
many was not defeated militarily, but
simply got hungry and sick Of war,
and therefore accepted the entente
conditions. This belief prevails in
spite of the public statements OF men
like Erzberger, who have told the
Germans their armies were defeated
| militarily.
Perhaps this belief fosters the talk
regarding "the next war" Not only
occasionally but frequently and by
all classes of people you are asked,
| We'll, when is the next war com
| ing?" Often Germans go farther
than that, and speak specifically OF
| the next war with France to get
revenge" There is war talk on all
hands, though Germany is in state
of collapse that is almost hopeless.
and is entirely dependent upon the
will of the allies for her future.
How much the German believes OF
what he says is another matter. Prob
ably he is out of his head, but this
same Discrimination to realize actual
conditions as they were, led the Ger
man to support the military class
0f the
war. The German APPARENTLY does not
think things out any more than ne
did. Y 80
In his attitude regarding the en-
tente, the German manifests about
the same breadth Of vision. Papers
are filled with vindictive articles,
much OF which is furnished by bu-
reaus established for the purpose In
Holland and Switzerland, which car
nv sensation rather than news.
Whether this campaign to stir up
hatred is organized or not Is not
certain. But the fact remains that
Germans are being inspired with
hatred Of France that never existed
before, and that makes being good
neighbors the more difficult. The
feeling has become yindictive over
the blockade and the non-arriVal OF
food which all Germans expected.
Internal questions get about the
same amount of logic In their treat
ment. While the government is at
tempting to establish order that pro-
duction may improve the condition
of workmen, the latter through their
soviets, are declaring waves OF
strikes. most of which are for sympa-
thetic reasons.
1t is no uncommon thing for half
dozen or more strikes to occur De-
cause one group Of people demand
better pay, or because law is not
passed as quickly as certain class
wishes. No doubt the conditions are
bad, but the strikes for sympathy
lust make them worse. Employers
find that workmen who have come
from the front are only half as eff
cient. not because they are out OF
practice, but because OF the abnormal
psychology under which they i've
now. Mentally they have become
bolshevik, errat1c and lazy.
This wave of responsibility Is one
of the greatest dangers Germany
faces and makes the establishment OF
the new republic extremely difficult
The government claims It Is due to
under-nourishment, which is partly
true, but not entirely, since groups
of men who have been well fed are
subject to the same germ of loose
thinking.
One Of the results Of the war has
been the lack of respect for law and
order and carelessness with human
life. It has made the Germans ready
to use arms for any small issue they
deem unsettleable otherwise.
Probably it will be question OF
years before the German becomes
clear-headed and clear-thinldng. He
started out with an abnormal psy-
chology, inspired by conceit, and the
war gradually made him ripe for the
mental collapse that took place with
the revolution.