The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-06-11
BOYCOTT TOOL
OF REPRISAL
FOR GERMANY
Campaign on Among People To
Promote Only Sale of Goods
Made in Fatherland
eY MILTON eRoNNER

Leipsic, June 11.-"Kauft keine
feindbundwaren'' - buy no enemy
goods!'
That sign l saw for the first time
in a big Hamburg shop. thought
at first it was probably a leftover
from the early days Of the war.
'Feindbund" literally translated
means alliance of enemies" Hence
1t might be translated "allied."
soon learied that the placard was
not relic of the old war, it was the
sign of the new war.
German business men are appealing
to German people to stand by them in
trade war which they say has been
forced upon them by the allies action
in putting up customs barriers on the
Rhine and fixing big tax on all Ger
man exports. .... .
Hamburg at once started a counter.
war. Figures showed that Germans
we're buying large quantities of French
wines, perfumes and toilet articles
and various English products, espe.
cially cigarets.
Patriotic Boycott Put Into Effect
So Hamburg conceived the idea of
q patriotic boycott. The Chamber of
Commerce, the hotel mems association
and other organizations took up the
matter. They advertised the idea in
the newspapers. They scattered hand
bills. They got up little stickers.
They put placards on all drays and
delivery wagons. They stuck cards in
the show windows.
The result,
went to q number of restaurants
and hotels and asked for French wines.
The waiter pointed to the wine list on
which in red ink there was printed:
1--WE sell no enemy goods"
The women took up the fight. One
of them wrote newspaper that In
1920 Germans consumed SO million
marks worth of imported preserves,
40 millions of perfumes and soaps and
800 millions Of liquors and wines.
She appealed to the German women.
asking who would buy French and
English goods when she must say to
herself that through this deed a Ger
man workman was without bread;
through this she is helping the father
land to further downfall? She wound
up with an appeal which has been
echoed in many quarters:
German work and German industry
must be helped by German buyers.
Therefore German men, German
women, buy only German wares!"
Hamburg business men declare the
movement has already had big effect
in France and England. They say
that leading French and British deal
ers have been urging their respective
governments to be more lenient with
Germany.
Leipsic Follows Han,bure's Example
In this city attended meeting
at the hotel Sachsenhof, where the
leading business men, newspaper pro-
prietor and editors and the prominent
members of all the political parties
discussed whether Leipsic should ini'
tiate Hamburg's boycott movement.
It was unanimously decided to do so.
One million stickers were ordered
printed. They are to be pasted on all
letters and envelopes sent out by l~elp
sic firms. Cards are to be hung in
shop windows and street cars.
A resolution was unanimously adopt
ed. 1t said England and France were
waging against German business the
long.threatened economic boycott. The
German government could not help
business men, because it was chained
by the Versailles treaty. Self-help
was the only thing left.
Self-help meant that for all citizens
of every class and of every degree OF
wealth, it was a patriotic duty to give
up the use of enemy goods and con-
sumo only things made in Germany.