The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-15
FEELING GROWS FOR
REJECTING TREATY



trustfulness that Is difficult to appre'
ciate fully and now they find them.
selves deceived"
The Cabinet, which was in session
more than six hours yesterday, ia
composed OF three Democratic Min.
listers, three Catholic Centrists, six
Majority Socialists and Count Won
Brockdorff Rantzau, who belongs ia
no party. He Is the thirteenth mem.
Der, and as such has the decisive vote
should there be a tie between the
Socialists and the two other parties.
Depends on Assembly.
In the coalition Government as II
stands now the six Democratic and
Centrist Ministers, with President
Ebert and Minister of Defence Noske
Of the Socialists and Won Brockdorfr.
Rantzau, are said on good authority
to be at present In favor OF rejecting
the treaty finally II the Allies and
the United States refuse to grant any
modification. Whether in the end the
Government will have the courage to
accept the responsibility for not sign
ing the treaty will depend largely on
the attitude Of the National Assembly.
Strong feeling against the Ameri-
cans and the Entente, but especially
against the Americans, has developed
In the last twenty-four hours. On the
whole the press still Is we'll in hand.
1t is very evident that the newspapers
have been cautioned not to increase
the difficulties of Foreign Minister
Count Won Brockdorff- Rantzau at
Versailles by abuse Of President Will
son, but the public is not so consid-
crate and several restaurants have
requested Americans to stay away.
British Make Complaint.
British officers have complained to
the German Armistice Commission Of
insulting remarks and the hostile at
titude Of the public, and the commits
sion has requested foreign officers not
to appear In uniform In the streets,
as owing to the increasing resent
ment and indignation of the people
it is not possible to guarantee these
officers against attack by some rabld
German. Many of the American and
British officers have no civilian
clothing with them. Won Brockdorff-
Rantzau has telegraphed from Yer
sailles that every precaution must be
taken to protect them.
Under conditions unprecedented In
history. the big question here Is "Will
Germany signf" In reply to that
question, so frequently asked at home,
I cn say. only that indications point
more and more to "No."
These Indication and the sentiment
which hourly is growing in volume and
force show that Germany. mentally
and physically, is to-day on the wheel
Of torture, "Will you confess p" VIII
you give up the guilty?" "Will you
surrender your entire military and
naval strength, your money, your In
dustry?" "Will you become an indus
trial slave?" These are the ques-
lions with which Germany feels her.
self confronted
Effort to Unite People.
That the real conditions may not
be so bad as this in no way alters
the situation; the Germans think
they are and they will be governed
by their own Ideas. Tremendous eff
forts are being made to consolidate
the nation, to gather the people to-
gether to shout one word, No" Not
being a prophet, but merely a chron-
icler of events, am not making pre-
dlctions, but only recording and ex.
planning the state of the German
mind as 1t is to-day, which is very
unstable, changing with every hour.
Rambling rumor IS mingled with
protests, indignation. resentment,
shrieks of hatred, denunciauon Of
the enemy, pleadings, appeals, and
through it all runs the sepulchral
note Of hopelessness, which is grow
Ing more pronounced. To-day there
Is louder and clearer mo" against
what the Deutsohe Ta0esseItun9 char
acterizes in its last issue as THE
Versailles slave market"
Sees Finish OF Germany.
A powerful impetus against sign
ing the treaty was given yesterday by
Prince Lichnowsky, formerly Am.
bassadOr at London. who declared in
the Ta0eblatt that the signing of such
peace would mean "Finls Ger
mania," unless it were signed only
with the thought of beginning a new
war soon for Germany's freedom. BE
writes:
Under no circumstances can we
accept the draft before US or permit
ourselves to be inundated by threats.
The acceptance of this or a similar
pence would mean not only the per-
manent political and economical an
Initiation of Germany and the Ger
man people but would rob us of the
remainder of respect for us among
all the neutral, friendly or antagonis-
tic foreign countries.
speaking openly. see no possibil-