South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-28

BERLIN, Feb. 26.-CBy Mail.)-
Three months careful study of Ger
many following the signing Of the
grmistice. forces the conviction that
neither war from without nor revO-
luton from within has worked any
psychological metamorphosis Of Ger
many as a nation, or OF Germans as
individuals Neither the strength
nor the weaknesses Of the German
peoples evidences any transforma-
tion. The minds which accept and
apply the terms OF peace will differ
but little from those which steered
the successful course nf the German
empire up TO Angus. 1914.
The revolution has changed the
form OF government. It has not
changed the governed. The war has
brought to Germany defeat. disaster
and restitution. II has not brought
despair nor humiliation half
dozen speakers at the National as
sembly in Weimar voiced the general
feeling of ~ people when they
said, in effect:
we have not been defeated mill
tarily. Hunger and the revolution
forced US 20 quit We accepted
Prest wilson's fourteen points and
demObilized voluntarily, according to
the provisions Of the armistice."
The foreign Offices policies and
the attitude of its individual secre-
taries are unchanged: it's personnel
is practically the same as before the
revolution, though the officials all
profess to be democrats. Now they
claim they opposed the war. eSpe-
cially employment of "frightfuI-
ness"
BernstOrGf Real Chief.
Count BernstOrff is considered BY
many well-informed Germans TO be
the man who IS really running the
foreign office, with his cousin,
Count BrOckdorff- Rantzau. chief in
name only. The Germans feel that
Brockdorff- Rantzau's speech outlin-
ing the nations foreign policy
marked a new era in diplomacy be-
cause he stated frankly what the
Germans consider modest. These in
cluded a retention of the German
colonies. a plebiscite for Alsace-Lor-
raine, repatriation of German war
prisoners and reparation for dam
ages only.
Ostensibly. the censorship was re-
moved with establishment of the
present government Yet priority
of news dissemination is still pre-
served as an exclusive and monop-
olistic privilege of the Wolff bureau.
which was the semi-Official propa-
ganda agency under the old regime.
Foreign newspaper correspondents
dispatches are held up six hours
after the same information is OBJ
tanned by Wolff This guarantees to
that organization the opportunity Of
giving the world it's first, and there
fore 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
created any deep-Seated aversion to
militarism among the German peo-
pie. 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 accepted by every one as a log
ical matter of fact.
Stir No Opposition.
Imperialistic, even monarchistic.
utterances during the national as
sembly meetings have stirred up no
opposition from the delegates. ex-
cept the radicals. For instance,
Count POsadowski conservative
leader. defended Bismarckism. He
advocated re-establishing the old
regime. which he called the most
benevolent and advanced govern
ment in the world The delegates,
save for a few radicals, listened
blandly while POsadowski declared
that a monarchy is the best form
of government.
In addition to the Wolff bureaus
influence on foreign propaganda
there is now new government de-
partment 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 a new form of government -"
With the exception Of government
organs. the press refuses to take the
national assembly very seriously.
switch TO Radicals.
a number of younger employees
who Joined the government through
idealistic motives are switching 10
the radicals. believing that real
revolution is coming when the in
dustrial workers and soldiers coun-