Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-07-26
OFFICERS have
A SORRY Time
Lot of Former German
Army Officers is a Dole
full and Very Sorry
One.
DESPISED BY PEOPLE
Have Hard Time to Even
Earn Living for Fam
lilies.
DEsPIsED BY PEOPLE

Berlin, July Z. Correspondence OF
The Associated Press No one in Ger
many signs more fervently for "the good
old days" Of the kaiser than the former
army officer Forced off the govern
ment pay roll by the reduction OF the
army, unframed for work other than
soldering. and so generally disliked by
the population that he has difficulty in
finding any kind Of employment, the of
ficer's lot in democratic Germany is a
hard one. His pre-war world, in which
he strutted about as the privileged pet
of his emperor has been utterly de-
IstrOyed.
Many have been reduced to extreme
financial straits. The middle aged eX
officer gets Il pension of $500 marks
a year. but that is only about a fifth of
the amount required to maintain
family. So urgent is their need that
a movement has been set on foot to
form an ex-officers association for the
purpose of inducing the government to
provide them with land and subsidies.
A Doleful View.
A former officer, dolefully discussing
with the correspondent the plight OF
himself and his fellows, remarked that
the expression once current in the Unit
ed States, '"There's no good Indian
but a dead Indian" applied precisely
nowadays to the German public's at
titude toward the officer class.
Private soldiers bear out this state
ment. AT the beginning of the war"
one said, 1.-The troops were fond Of their
officers, who ate the same food, carried
their own packs, and shared the hard
ships of the men. But most OF the
regular officers were quickly killed off,
and those left were sent away from the
lines for staff and other duties.
Reservists Bullies.
Their places We're taken by reserves,
who We're an entirely different lot. They
had to have special Kitchens and milk
and plenty of wine. They refused to
march with the troops. always riding
in automobiles, and making the men
carry their packs. They were DULLES
and tyrants, and the men grew to hate
them. The civilian population felt the
same way. was in Belgium when the
armistice was signed, and when we
withdrew to the Rhineland the people
lodgings for us privates, but they re-
fused to have officers in their homes.
Those fellows now are only getting
what's coming to them"
In number of eases eX-Officers have
found themselves inadvertently apply
ing for work to the very privates they
once commanded. These former sol
dierS, business men and sSOpkeepers,
take keen delight, it is said, In turning
down their old superiOrs. Many of the
young eX-officers are taking up engin
eering and other technical lines, start
ing at the bottom of the ladder as
manual workers in Overalls.
After the first revolution it was
risky thing for an officer TO appear on
the streets in uniform. They were en-
bOdened by the kapp coup last March
and since then have been showing
themselves in increasing numbers, es
pccially student reserve officers, who
are easily identified by their pale faces
slashed with fresh sword cuts received
in duels.
Mr.. Frank Nichols, clerk at the