The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-01-30
Financial Collapse Seems Inevitable in
Berlin, Where Portentious Shadows of
Coming Events Have Already Been
Cast in Currency Drop
Unless Outside Help Comes the Conclusion Seems
Inevitable That the German Government May
Hit the Rocks and Break Up

Berlin. July 2a.--ciermany is baiane-
Ing on the very edge Of a precipice,
alb We the abyss OF national. economic
and financial collapse which is certain
L be followed by far-reachtng inter
national reverberations IT the financial
world
The ue1t thirty days-possfbty the
coming ueek--ray determine whether
tho war wniCh was Won ~ America
: nd the aijs7 in ave years will oe
completely lost to them IN as many
months N tito s;xth year
rhs. "a the unacceptable impression
On GETS here in the vortex Of tn Cen
tFal European political economic wh'fl-
Hno} All indications here point To The
Versailles treaty reNenEfng itself uro1
Vt makers ~ith a rapidly that even
use 4nost seaEeful German nationalists
hardly ANTICIPATED.
The 7nost portentjous shadow coming
60 cHt, have cast before them is the
n-tv don Of the German mark HIGH
touched ore cent here and went even
iawet u cologne and in Holland where
g. drouped To seven etghths of cent.
For the first tins the confidence ~
the Germans themselves IN THAR ow r
uaney - beginning II disappear as is
ss2owu ~ rho Wild scramble for for
sicn roney at arv price eSpeeiall*
American SWISS Dutch. Danish and
Su aaish
The ,atk ef the street today is how
rqzzYsv stasg 1t wf}f re before national
b7r f,3riNs- rs admitted
s1ns government is helpicssty drift
it, ~ re grin al forces quite heTont
rs trot tenie$s smtside help come s.
ii ,pnana a' or re conclusion e.
r..9 ,t.}a t}s' - aniy a matter
e. weeks tsefs etovernrnsnt hits
tF@ rock ard up
WIN the realization that y cannot
III itseIf a1Fas tAe course Of jTrcendintg
eeentS " pthoi,sstrasso has been struck
~ some thing of the apathy Of last
spring Tho fcbnEanntng ~ the OK
CHANGE has cut or all tmpnrtattons,
practically making the new blockade
s{r~tlght with the exception Of small
quantities in individual packages.
Reports from unofficial sources con
tlnue to emphasize thar the food sttus'
ton is nearing cstastrophal crisis.
THE government however. appears TO
have adopted the policy of the old
r~gfmr Of not taking the people into
us confidence bur keeping them in the
dark as did Judeudorr during the war.
f. much the Same reasons namely
that the remaining morale must not be
WE8 Eer@t ans shattered nv Il pessfn}s-
tie outlook however true
sort At grim consolation is found
in the slurnnjrg ~ the pound sterling
und the decline ~ the French franc as
compared with the dollar This, in
deed is taken as rroof positive that
III. German mark ~ one ~ the irre~
movable units Of the European eco
non1tc complex
In some quarters national hank
ruptcy is not considered the worst evd
fer Germany Those who profess that
view declare that 1t would spell utter
defeat for the victors and force a re-
vision 81 the Versailles treaty more
quickly than anything else could.
Both the radicals and the natlonalists
have an additional mental anele, which
is tina. bankruptcy would also sweep
away the present German government.
The government appears TO have
still lingering hope that the situation
Us RAPIDLY nearing the point whore the
European powers will forget their ami
mosities and get together in an en-
deavor to save all through concerted
efforts,
high government official summed
,tr, the situation this afternoon in these
words
Unless we get credits for food and
raw materials tits only a question Of
tame when our collapse will be in
evitable We no longer can save our
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