The Washington herald., 1919-09-01
NEW STORMS GATHERING
FOR GERMANY, SAYS HARDEN
Production Decreased Workers Surly, Dis
satisfied Are Many and Monarchy Still
Beckons Through Jobess Soldiers.
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN

BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.
Copyright, 1919, by the Press Publish
ing Co. (The New York World.
Especial Gable Dispatch to The WorldD
Berlin, Aug. 31.-Over Germany's life,
become sunless. new storm clouds are
gathering. The basic raw material
which. in our climate. our Kultur
form OF industrialism stretching afar
over that land, is almost more in
dispensable than grain, the heat.
power and light dispensing coal. grows
scantier from moon to moon. The
coal miner. for years badly fed and
tired and sullen after the cruel dis
appointment of the war. no longer per-
forms what he formerly did.
In other industries 1t is no different;
in German shipyards it has been as
certained that during the same period
of time in which formerly 40 rivets
were driven, only thirty-five are driven
now. But work underground Is hard
er; and the coal miner feels in him
self more than does the factory
worker the power of bringing to a
standstill all wheels. all sources OF
light. heat, motive power. and is even
more accessible to the siren call warm
ing him against further 'plaguing
himself for the profit Of the producers
and their stockholders"
The weakened condition of the body
and the rebelliously toned soul to-
gether lower working efficiency The
strikes. following one another in close
succession. have prevented the ac-
cumulation Of coal supplies. Already
the gas dear and bad) is only to be
had within closely limited hours
The limitation and reduction of rail-
road traffic are already officially an
nounced, and in the east of Prussia
already in many a town there are no
street cars any more. The Saar basin
is lacking and the partners in the
peace treaty can demand coal sup
plies. On the lower Rhine and in
Westphalia the coal production can be
increased; but the necessary prior
condition would be that the miner
should have very considerable par
tcipation in the profits of the mines
and that decent dwellings are built
for the new oncoming army of min
erS.
Must Break Selfshncss
The increase in the number Of min
ers must equaliZe the diminished ef-
hclency, and the necessary number
OF men to do this and in addition to
double the production must be able
to live halfway decently The work
er who has good home and is in
t"rested in the fourishing of the en-
terprise by reason of having a part
OF the profits flow to him, as to the
owners of the capital or those who
lend it, will take a greater joy in
his work and be less easily persuad-
ed into striking than the homeless
worker whose most loyal fulillment
of duty doesn't lift behind the days
wage. which can be raised only by
mass movement.
But houses for hundreds OF thou
sands, particularly in our raw ma
terlal shortage. cannot be stamped
out OF the earth: nor is it easier to
break the selfishness which stub
bornly refuses participation in the
pronts and look into the operations
OF the business connected Herewith,
Not on the economic consequences
will l throw light. All too easily are
they recognizable in a land whose
stocks are empty, which lacks about
everything. which already NOW has
whole armies of unemployed to feed
and which only by hardest work
could exc out its own existence and
fulfill its treaty obligations.
Need Breeds Crime.
But what will Germany's political
face look like when again in the
fall traffic bitches, great industries
are forced to come to standstill
and in winter heat and light are
limited to a minimum? The man
placed on small fat rations, without
the necessary calories,~ has no power
or resistance against cold. In the
dark streets need breeds crime.
Every one paints for himself the
picture of the dangerous demorali-
zation which must result from such
a condition of things. Not every
one knows, however, that a strong
party pins its hope to the psycho-
logical effects of such a state of
affairs, and that out of coal short
age can come the danger to the life
of the young republic.
The number of those who have an
interest in the return of the ancient
regime, or think they have an in
terest, is greater than the casual
observer suspects. To the 100. 600
officers and noncommissioned Off
GERS who have become or are TO be-
come breadless is Joined a consid-
cradle part of the bureaucracy
which is cheated out of Office or
chance of promotion: also the
captains of industry who are hos
tile not only to socialistic but to
democratic evolution, and the
whole band of middling capitalists
who lived passably on their inter-
est OF from 5000 to 1900 marks,
and who now are neither sure of
this income on bonds nor after in
creased cost of living and depreci-