El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-26

! then than afterwards when order
might be restored and judgments bell
weathered into following sterotyped
interpretations emanating from the
/ Wilhelmstrasse-
Paris to Berlin After ArmiStlce.
For the above and one thousand
other reason, I wanted 70 go 10 Ger
many, and after some experiences
which kept my hat whooped up on my
lifted hair 7 finally managed TO get
there wandered all over those re-
gions which have been isolated for
four years roamed around over the
kaiser's former Mis.el Europa estate
from the snow fields OF the Bavarian
Alps TO the gloomy Baltic. I even
went SO far as TO accept an invitation
from a crowd Of Karl Liebknecht's
untamed Sparticides for a little week
end house party in the kaiser's pal
ace But that's a bit ahead Of my
story. First Of all let's start out and
90 from Paris to Berlin
That's not so terribly difficult now
provided you have the necessary
credentials. But TO get into Germany
during the two months following the
armistice. when hundreds OF CORE
spondents and professional observers
were longing 10 get there was about
as easy as crossing Thibet or visiting
the forbidden city OF Mecca
If these observations OF nina in this
il is simply because happened to get
into Germany Immediately after the
signing Of the armistice, and because
I happened to be one Of the only two
or three outsiders who were wander
ing 1t large about Germany immedi-
ateiy after the collapse OF Luden-
dorffs armies. at a time when the
Germans, 10 put It mildly. didn't
know where they were at" and when
they were ready to talk TO anybody
who would talk to them about their
disaster and willing to talk with COM
too scared, too stunned, and too
dumbfounded t0 speak otherwise,
with some exceptions.
French Troops Arrive.
Directly after the signing OF the
armistice, an invitation came to me-
from the French minister Of war 10
go along with two French interna-
tional law experts, on a trip to the
Rhine. We arrived there several days
in advance Of the allied armies and
had an unparalleled opportunity of
witnessing that never to be forgotten
scene when France came in pomp to
receive her own again
I'll not attempt 10 repeat here the
story Of the allied occupation Of the
land west OF the kline It is ancient
history now. But viii merely men
tion one or two impressions which in
CICacE4 Justly 70 -EL u AAl--
observed that in Strasbourg. Null
house. and Colmar, more than SO per-
cent Of the people looked like Ger
mans and spoke a Germanic dialect
Many OF them told me that if a
plebiscite had beer taken before the
war they would have voted in favor
Of remaining within the German en-
pire- Today, however, they declared a
vote would be overwhelmingly in IA
vor Of belonging to France. This
change of sentiment they attributed
to the pigheaded obstinacy with which
the German military leaders treated
Alsace-Lorraine as enemy territory
throughout the war John F Coakley,
a patent leather merchant Of Phila-
delphia, who was caught by the war
in Strasbourg and compelled to re-
main there, told me that when the
first division Of Uhlans entered the
city its commander warned his men
to conduct themselves as II they stood
on enemy soil
Even children were put in Jail for
no greater offences than speaking a
OF the soldiers CHARTERED upon them,
the civilians had little or no redress.
So II is not surprising that the popu-
Iation awaited the coming OF a change
Of authority with relief
Germany's Revolt.
It was in Strasmourg that we en-
countered the first direct evidence
that the revolution in Germany was
something more than 4 matter OF
rumor. although nearly everybody in
France insisted that II was nothing
more than camouflage. Although
Strasbourg had been IN the hands Of