The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-10-15


world. Ebert is one Of them. He has
neen close and Intelligent student of
economics. He opposed bitterly the
IroyaIist regime, but he realized that the
Iadlcallsm of part of his supporte rs
would, If translated, into administrative
policy, wreck the government. He has
peen sufficiently progressive to hold the
confidence OF the masses, and industrial
leaders agree that he has exhibited such
quantities OF courage, wisdom and poise
In the midst of trying. conditions as to
remove their prejudice. At a CONNER
cial meeting held in Hamburg during the
summer he received demons ton
from assembled industrial chiefs which
surprised most people, and shocked the
| old royalist crowd.
Ebert Given Credit for Real Ability.
Mr.. Houshton, the American ambas-
sador to Berlin, a successful business
man himself, speaks In the highest
terms of Ebert. Dr., W-irth. the chan
cellor, is not Of Ebert's political party
He is OF the intellectual group. The rul
ing opinion in the chanceHeries of Eu-
rope is that Wirth is able and is sin
cerely trying to accomplish two things
the reimbursement of the reparationS
question on terms that win enable Ger
many to live and to pay her creditors
up to her paying capacity.
Turing the summer Ine1e ulu not dp-
pear to be the slightest chance of the
government being overthrown, The ma
jor part of the old junker class realizes
that imperialism was the part Of day
I that will never come back. There has
been some talk of an independent Ba-
! varia but it Is not regarded seriously in
Berlin.
! There is norinterest whatsoever in the
kaiser. The mass has dismissed him
ay-Tia oil
classes insist that foreign countries in
attributing certain war policies to the
kaiser considerably overestimated his
! capacity They say that he always was
| a weakling possessed of an inordinate
vanity and love of pomp and display.
Their further contention is that in the
! last few years OF his reign he mad a very
unhappy existence. The Ludendorf crowd
representing the extreme militarists,
wound talk him into one view and the
pacifists into another, the result being
| that ordinarily he was in the neutral
zone possessing the confidence OF nell
/ Their one OF the opposing interests.
| talked with a gentleman in Berlin
! who was with the kaiser in 1914 at gen
eral Headquarters when all preparations
: had been made for the entrance to Paris.
| On the evening in question, the kaiser
was fun Of plans for the peace terms.
! He insisted that he would be so generous
! that historians would speak of him as
the Great Peacemaker. We will build,
| he said, "a bridge Of gold across the
frontier to France as symbol OF the
policies that viii endure when the war
is over lie expressed great surprise
that England should come into the war.
Not a long time before, members Of
German and English titled families had
been married. At this function the
kaiser said there had been SO many
felicitous assurances. that he felt con-
fident England would not join in any
war movement against Germany. l in
oulred of my informant what the kaiser
in his peace terms would have done with
the boundary line between Germany and
France. His response was, "the kaiser
said that there were certain imperfec-
tions in the frontier and he would mere
ly straighten them out
There is a universal affection in Ger
many for Hindenburg. but not for Lu-
dendorf.
Twenty Million People More Than Can
Be Fed,
1t will not be denied that Germany has
20 million more people than she can sup
port except by keeping her Industries at
the very peak of production. If economic
collapse comes, and it certainly is on its
way. at least these 90 millions will be
thrown into a state of dependence. Rev
olution feeds upon hunger. The govern
ment, in all probability, would not long
survive an economic status comparable
to that in Austria.
When in London l expressed the opin-
ion that Germany was not moro than
eight months behind Austria in her
economic decline-and that one thing
and one thing only would avert the dis
aster. that being a readjustment Of rep
arations.
It is unfair both to France and to the
American peace commissioners TO charge
them with responsibility for the impos-
ing of 1856 billion gold marks on Ger
many. France now seems TO be quite
convinced that Germany cannot pay
There is no doubt in the German MIND
about it, Lloyd George has unreserN-
eddy expressed this as his opinion. Ey-
cry financial authority who has visited
central Europe entertains the same view
and yet nothing is done. All govern
ments pay attention to public opinion
as they sense it.
Careful observers believe that the
French government has not properly
analysed the public opinion Of that
country. It is anti-British and British
decision would be rejected for obvious
reasons The acceptance of a German
proposal might imply surrender. am
convinced that there Is figure in the
hack of the official mind Of France that
has not been expressed. The whole psy-
ehology is such that an independent
judgment would bring the deadlock to
an end
American Influence Can Save the Crisis.
There is no independent national
agency, however, so influential at this
time as America. If the American rep
resentative were known in European
countries and respected both for his
fairness of mind and natural abilities
the situation would be just that much
in,rroved That is why the name of Her
bert g. Hoover was proposed. His re-
Iation with European affairs was not
such as to create any enemities, His
service was that of the good Samaritan.
-, n.n..o r.nndarad a vast COntTi