New-York tribune., 1919-03-17
German Observer Believes
Militarists Are Seeking
to Impress the Entente
Fighters Ignorant of Aim
Large Army to Suppress
HOmc-Made Bolshevism
Real Objective, He Says
By Joseph C. SAKE

Nr1C II OrE Tribune
Copyright, ,ola New York Tribune Inc)
BERLIN March 8, via London,
March - (delayed) Berlin this week
has been the scene of carnage, beside
which all the horrors of the bloody
Spartacide week, which probably sealed
Germany's fate for a long time to
come, pale into insignifcancc.
Heavy fighting has been going on
increasingly in various parts Of the
city, intensified to regular warfare in
the area within a mile radius Of police
headquarters in the Alexander Platz
Hardly a single instrument tested in
war has been missing.
Machine guns and rifles are seldom
silent. The frightened and bewildered
population of Berlin has become
familiarized with the typical din of
war. Every now and then there have
been bursts of artillery thunder. Air
planes descended almost to the ground
at intervals, and there followed nerve
racklng explosions Of aerial bombs.
north of Friedrichstrasse without see
ing the plainest indications that this
section is in a theatre OF war. Troops
1ully equipped are rushed to and fro
in military carts. bearing machine
guns mounted and ready, while the
helmeted soldiers keep rifles, grenades
ana revO1vers at hand.
Flame Throwers Active
The thoroughfares have been cleared
by the troops, who some distance down
the road may be seen in action. Here
a column of fire suddenly mounts
above the housetops, and as suddenly
disappears when the fame throwers
have%one their work
Long lines of Red Cross and fire
brigade motors race the streets to the
scenes of havoc. Occasionally dark
object drops among them--an aerial
torpedo launched from some hidden
stronghold of the enemy There is a
binding flash, terrific explosion, and
what were trucks and men vanish
Anywhere IN this wide area chance
missiles may strike at any time, and
yet foolhardy crowds gather at the
street corners and watch until q
shower OF machine gun bullets come.
Then they scatter in wild stampedes,
leaving dead and wounded sprawled
bleeding in the street
The number of dead and wounded
has already reached four figures and
the total grows hourly at an ALARMING
rate.
Business as Usual Elsewhere
However, only a few hundred Yards
from this curiously restricted zone of
warfare, with its promiscuous slaugh-
ter, people go about in the pursuit of
business or pleasure with seeming un-
concern, as though the rattle of mus
field pieces and bombs and the carnage
were all a theatrical performance ar
ranged to amuse a jaded public
Part OF Berlin seems to be raving
mad and an idea of the meaning of it
all cannot be gained from the bulletins
issued by the warning factions. These
bulletins and the whole inspired
press represent the fighting as pro-
ceeding between government troops
and Spartacide forces, partly composed
of organized bands Of desperate crimi-
nails who are supposed to have been
reinforced by rebel marine division
and traltorous republican guard
troops. But these statements are not
in the least impressive. Here, how
ever, is the version of a shrewd Ger
man observer:
'This terrible slaughter is the result
of a very deep game.
Ex-Ruler Still Active
"lf what l say sounds fantastic
please remember that our former
rulers, especially one of them, still
pulls strings in the darker recesses
of our public life. They are men who
have been trained by tradition and life
long experience to put faith in methods
and policy that must appear fan
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