The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-02-05
HUN PROPAGANDA

was in command in the Ukraine when
the Bolshevists spread their poison
there. He is frankly afraid of Boil
ShevlSm-or says he is afraid.
ct spreads like pestilence," sale
he to me.
So that the revolution, having CONC
about because of the German con-
viction that autocracy had embark
ed them in losing venture and only
in democracy is there hope of pulling
out few rags of credit, the inter
locking relations of the revolutionar.
and the military chiefs may be ac-
counted for. In the ranks the rela-
ton is different. The German soldier
is still disciplined, but not as he used
to be. He salutes his officers only
when on duty in many regiments.
But when on duty he obeys.
"The officers have the technical
knowledge that we lack" is the ex-
PLANTATION. "If we did not obey them
Jack is as good as his master"
The statement is made by both
sides that the revolutionary freedom
of manners is at first confined to the
regiments which have been in the
depots at the rear. It is these regi
ments which have figured in the few
scenes which have been reported, and
which have been notably few, when
it is considered that the old govern
ment has been replaced and over
turned. The men who have been un-
der the stern discipline of the front
retain that discipline until they have
reached the rear.
"There they come in contact with
the disconnected civilians and with
the soldiers that have revolted," was
told. "In a few days they are like
the others. They obey fairly WE'LL
but the contagion spreads"
This much was apparent even to
the foreign observer. The men
marching back from the front in ODE
dience to the rehabilitation claus
es of the armistice agreement were
perfectly disciplined. The delegates
of the Arbeiter-and-Solda Rath
gave orders to the army chiefs, but
never interfered with the internal
workings of the military machine.
The huge movement of retreat pro-
ceeded in the most orderly fashion
until points some distance in the in
terior-as measured from the recent
fighting frcnt-were reached. But
when Cologne and Coblenz and Mainz
were reached, the cumulative effect
of revolution and of the relaxed dis
cipline following the end of the war
began to be noticeable.
"Many times the men have seized
trains and gone on their way without
ORDERS" was told.
to Coblenz. 1t was damned to the
very roof, but I did not see dozen
soldiers on the train. The train-mas-
ter told me that almost every night
half a dozen or more soldiers were
killed or injured by being scraped
off the car roofs in passing through
tunnels From this point on to Ber-
lin officers became increasingly rare.
The colonel of a regiment told me
in Berlin that he did not dare wear
his uniform on the streets.
"My own men are all right" he
said, "but rebels from other regiments
might shoot me. 1t would be suicide
to appear on the streets in uniform
today
During the six days I spent in Ber-
lin I did rot see six uniformed Off
GERS in all. Often youngsters entered
the Hotel Adion, where / made my
headquarters, accompanied by young
women of very evident aristocratic
families. The men bore every out
ward mark of the Prussian officer,
but they wore the dress of private
soldiers. Few even wore their dec
orations. The few officers / saw were
in motor cars and rode rapidly. The
men turned to watch them on the
pavement and often l heard threats
shouted after them.
At Casse], where the German great
general headquarters is established,
and where the mighty Hindenburg
himself lives, the troops seemed to
be sternly disciplined. had not sus-
pected the possibility of disorder
there, yet the morning VIE left that
CITY three officers were shot in the
railway station by revolutionary
guards because they attempted to
tear down the red flag.