Germany's Unbroken Power.

Bruce Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 32, 2 May 1918, Page 5

Germany's Unbroken Power.

[REVOLUTION "UNTHINKABLE."

WAR WILL NOT END THIS YEAR.

James W. Gerard, former American! Ambassador in Berlin, is convinced, from a close study of the German rulers and people, that a revolution in Germany is unthinkable while the Allies are held back and Germany staves off defeat on 'her own soil. This opinion he 'has expounded in a Nov York Press interview.

I "The 'modem Germans are not of the stuff of which revolutionists are easily made. 'They might, turm in l adversity—my .'belief is 'that they will — but never in success, or while they believe, as -most of them do wholeheartedly, that their sacrifices keep their fatherland' from being shattered by greedy, envious enemies. "The poison with which the German people Slave been infected—that poison of falsehoods, of clever 'misrepresentations, of glittering promises, of fear of •invasion —is still potent, and thus J say that revolution is unthinkable. W© might just as well get that out of our minds and concentrate on the one sure way of curing Germany of 'her disease, which is to beat her upon the fields of battle. GERMANS MUST SATE THEM-

SELVES. "Never in the "world's history was there so remarkable an example of a cure that must be worked eventually from within, and worked voluntarily. We will save the world by beating Germany, but the Germans must save themselves at the last.

"I earnestly believe that when Germany is beaten' squarely, when the vast German armies disintegrate and the weary fighting men go back to their homes-, when the people at home Tealise how vain all of their sacrifices were, when they see how they have been deceived, then, the break-up will come. I earnestly believe that the German mind will then- swing upon a pivot, and that almost suddenly will come an understanding of how they have ibeeu misled and exploited in 'the most terrible way that any people have ever been> used.

"When' that day 'comes God help the Hohcnzollerns! 'Something more awful than the French Revolution may occur, for there is, as the world now knows, a capacity for savagery and for beastliness in the German nature that exceeds anything revealed by modern' times.

"But we must never fail to remember that German) defeat in war, and only 'that, is likely to produce internal reform.. Germany's whole political structure, the wftole 'system of government, is a bulwark: against revolution. "Tfc as irritating at times to 'hear the persistent chatter about 'starving Germany.' That is nonsense, criminal nonsense if it interferes with our war resolution and determination, if it is allowed to make us underestimate the terrible nature of the task ahead of us.

"'Germany has never been anywhere near starving. She took time by the forelock and systemised the food distrifbution problem as she systemised everything. It as perfectly true that rations were 'cut down' so far a& the the army could have plenty of the best; ibu't no man who knows what is> going on can keep up the parrot-like chatter about Germany starving unless he is an utter fool or worse. SHE IS NOT BANKRUPT YET.

"Germany won't be starved out, that's certain, and l the sooner we get rid of that notion 'the better it will be for the prosecution of the war. The British have got 'her by the neck as regards some 'commodities necessary to manufacture, fout even in these essentials she has so manoeuvred' as to get along after a fashion. "What the financial conditions will be after the war it is difficult to say, but Germany is not bankrupt yet by any means', and' there has been, it seems to me, very clever 'handling of ; her financial problems. What she owes she owes largely to herself —tliat is, by her processes of financing she borrows over and' over again from her own people. This burden of deb't is enorm'ous and means, unless Germany should happen to win, a crushing imposition in the future upon the taxpayers. ''One hears a good- deal of talk about the doubtful attitude of the German people toward' the United States and Americans, doubtful in the sense, it is said, that perhaps the people themselves do not really 'hate us. Let me say at the beginning that the German is always hating somebody or something. He must 'hate to be nappy. "He began foy hating the Russians, then he hated 1 the English, and now he hates us with a' hate that transcends all of the others. The country is poisoned by vilifiors of America, some of them German Americans who returned to their fatherland to do us all the harm possible. . "Tif the German armies' ever got to our ! shores we would experience terrible proofs of 'this hate. What lias been done to Belgiani 1 and Northern

France would !bo nothing compared to what the Germans would' do here. "There is much speculation in these days as to the possibility of German frightfulness reaching us in some way, by submarine raids or by airplane bombardments. I cannot pretend to guess what is in the mind of the German military authorities, but I do know that they never miss a chance to strike.

"Airplane raids are unlikely, ! I believe, because I doubt if planes could be 'carried on even their big submarines. Of course, it is possible that surface raiders will escape the vigilance of the 'British and: American North Sea patrol and slip over here to indulge in a little frightfulncss. Some of these might be able to release seaplanes for a bombardment of New York City, Boston or some other part of the coast. But I think i't more likely that we .may have to encounter submarine warfare on.' this side before many months go by. WIUL THE 'HUN BOMBARD ■AMERICA.

"The Germans will wake up to the fact that our troops are moving uninterruptedly and they may try to strike at the transports from this side. Also, I believe, they may try 'to shell coast cities. Their big submarines carry guns of a calibre sufficiently large to throw shells six or seven miles, and even with our coast defences a surprise attack might be figured on to cause a lot of damage, although it would be of no real military value. "Germany attacked England by Zeppelin and airplane because she hoped to terrorise 'England into keeping an enormous number of airplanes at home and way from the fighting front. It is conjectural that she might seek to overcome the tremendous difficulty of attacking the United States by airplane or submarine for the same reason. WAR WILL NOT END THIS YEAR, "I 'should like to call attention to what I believe is another fallacy—that regarding Germany's military power. "Germany will have at all 'times about 0,000,000 effectives. 'More than 400,000 men come to military age every year. A surprising percentage of the wounded are quickly returned' to the fighting fronts. I do not regard the Gorman military 'machine as anywhere near collapse. 'The sober truth is that we are tackling an enemy who is perhaps even stronger to-day than she was when she launched her thunderbolt at an amazed civilisation. The machine is still running smoothly. It is still well oiled." '"There is no use talking about the war 'ending iir 1918. One can only guess, ibu't 'liry guess is that there will be three or four years more at least of struggle and sacrifice and devotion' before the peace terms can be laid down by democracy. . "I 'have spoken freely because I so earnestly hope that Americans will get rid of notions that merely delude them and impair resolution and efficiency. The thing always to keep in mind is that we are starting in to fight a nation little if any impaired in its military strength, that still manages to find the food it needs, that is still backed by its public opinion, and that still believes it 'has a chance of victory and of world domination. "They cannot win because God is against them, as iHugo said of Napoleon at Waterloo, but they will not be beaten •by talk, by idle hopes and conjectures, by curses hurled from' a distance, by editorials and .magazine articles. They have got to 'be crushed by the armies of the free nations'. "The President has come to understand what the task is. He has practically given us a Avar motto: 'Beat Germany first;' save her afterward if she is willing.' "