The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-01-09
|APR0VFD RELATIONS BE TWEEN
AMERICAN TROOPS AND GERMANS
By Y. NOBLE HALL

| II ONION Times Wireless. t"pEF!Sni'
1919. by Public Ledger co..
C0BI.E.NZ, (Ey Courier To NahcF')
Jan. S.--Only about month has ri'PS'u
since the first American troops ch'E'""
Cublrnz t. maintain order at Tue re-
quest of tho German authorities. lh'S"
we're followed il. a few days b! 'lNiS-
ions OF the Third army. holding III" Con-
, lcnX bridschcad under the terms Of the
armiSiIcc.
During this month the ATTITUDES of the
American army toward the Germans
has undergone radical change. Sine"
Christmas day Il continued improvements
lin the feelings Of civilians toward the
| soldiers has been most marked. Even
among the junkcr claSs the a;Studc OF
con,emptuous reserve has faded away.
and it is Impossible TO detect any hustii-
i,y toward Americans. Some few Ger
mans still appear unconscious OF the
presence Of the American troops hut
! the great majority OF the people are
cordial and anxious 10 do all they can
for them.
Two things are occupying the minds
of the German population. the food "ii :
| uaton and tho coming election. II Is OF
! the utmost Importance that food relief
given by the United States and IN"
| Allies 10 Germany pc under their !w''
! control. III no other way can equality
Of distribution he attained. The food
stuffs for which the German civilian
population in the area occupied by the
American army are worse Off than the
French. are breadtSu.fts and fats.
Everything else is more abundanlly
supplied. or rather would be- more album
dainty supplied if the existing supplies
wore cQui,ably distributed. The Ger
man system has been and apparently
still is. TO give the civilian population
! Just enough to keep them in bare
health. then permit al, surplus food TO
be sold 70 those who could afford 10
pay. In regard 10 food conditions II
may also be mentioned that the spell Of
mild weather through which the coun-
try is passing has enabled the Germans
| to do great deal OF winter plowlng.
and in the country districts returning
soldiers find plenty of work.
Tho period Of political apathy
marked by Christmas and New Year
| celebrations finds natural reaction
| in the marked interest in the coming
elections. Applications for permission
| to hold political meetings are more and
moro frequent. and as far as the area
occupied by the Americans is concerned
| there is no doubt that constructive,
conservative feelings prcdominatc. Tho
moderate class Of Germans believe that
| by taking the German part of Austria
they can form d federation Of German
! republics far greater and more power
| full than the German empire was before
the war. and that by organized CONNER
cial infltyation they will be able 10 alb
| sorh and control Russia
While the moderates have great con-
structtve dreams for the future. they
how 10 obtain control Of the machinery
Of government IL the Socialists refuse
to relinouish power. and should the lat
| ter be defeated at the election. and Sec
ondly. how TO solve the very pressing
economic problems presented by the
German demobuization which. So far.
| has been carried out by the Socialists
on very unscientific principles.
| Already in Coblcnz there is consider
able unemployment and large numbers
of demobilized soldiers are anxious to
Dust women from well-payinG posi-
tons they hold. such as street car con-
ductors and other municipal services as
we'll as Industrial and commercial un.
dertakinEs. Despite all tho efforts Of
the German authorities To induce
women and girls to go back TO house.
hold work. little or no progress is be
ing made. The women refuse 70 resume
their pre-wN status in the community.