FEELING IN GERMANY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10104, 11 October 1917, Page 6

FEELING IN GERMANY.

POLISH REFUGEES PREDICT UPHEAVAL. U-BOAT CAMPAIGN BLAMED. Refugees from Poland who reached Wiv York recently declared that underneath the surface in Germany tluiv is a deep political unrest, ami v. growiug belief that tbo country lost more titan she could gain by the unrestricted use of the submarine when she forced America into the war on the side of rhc Allies. Unlike tho.se who precoded them, these refugee.-: parsed through Germany less than three weeks before reaching- America and. seemed to agree that Germany believes the war i-. going against her, while «omo predict the real political upheaval will come, when the soldiers are released from the rigid discipline of military duty am! come lo a gradual realisation of what lias been going on in intornal affairs, One. of the- refugees, Mended Scrottsky, was a successful merchant- until the Germans entered AYilna. "From MJiat I have soon of the, Germans," he',,said through an interpreter. "they agree that, the war is lost and their only hope is to save something out of the wreck. They fighl on because the soldiers are held nniier strict discipline and because they are urged on by their patriotism. The food situation is troubling Germany more than any thing else. German hopes were centred on Russia., believing they could conclude a separate peace with the Russia!!.-, obtain from them a. food supply, and then turn on the remaining enemies, "The Herman soldiers are sorry that America is in the war, not because they fear the military power of America, but i bccau.se America, is in a position to emit ! off their supplies. The Germans do r.ot '' bate. America, and they did not. want to J fight her. There can't be a revolution when I only the women and children and the men necessary for civil positions are. at home. j The soldiers have plenty to occupy them, and besides the soldiers are well fed. There may be trouble when the soldiers go hungry." Chaim Herman, merchant and teacher. of Grodno. Poland, another refugee, has 'gone to America in hope of finding his wife and children, from whom he became : separated when the Germans entered his native place. ( "The Germans left us only our clothes." 'he said. "They drove oil' the live stock and took possession of all the goods in the place. It is' impossible to describe conditions in Grodno, where the people are starving and every bit of food is under Government control. For, trivial violations of the military order Jews are beaten daily. Food prices are very high, and those who have money can cat: the rest must starve. For six months we could get no meat. Sugar, for example, is 70 cents a pound, and other things correspondingly as high." . j Some refugees brought their food cards, and in some oases their allotment was an egg a month and a lump (| f sugar a day. Herman said that not so long ago he went through Bialostok and saw children on the streets crying and begging for food.. When | he returned' those children were dead ot hunger, and he saw some of their bodies. I Mrs Esther Eisonbcrg. who left Warsaw | three weeks ago to join her husband in (Ihicago, said :--- j "The- people in Warsaw are dying ol hunger. The death rate is 500 a day there, land those who do not actually die ol star 1 Nation are so weakened by [rick of food that they fall victims fo disease. Six months ago bread was 17 cents a pound. Now it is 35 cents. The fortunate get about, 4A pounds' of bread every two weeks. "The "Germans are sick of war. ll was bad news lo the soldiers when (hey learned that America had gone lo war. They did not think she would. Though there was strict censorship, the people learned that American troops had arrived in France. They do not know how many are there, and believe the number is insignificant; The soldiers are willing to lose if only they can have peace again." Those who have just passed through Germany had no chance to see anything of that "country. They were in closed cars for three days, with little to eat. When the train passed through Berlin the guards were doubled-;and an inspection made' to make sure that communication with the outside was 'impossible. 'Soldiers were, stationed inside tin' trains, and there was a guard posted-on the outside.