JUNKERS IN GERMANY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 113, 17 May 1918, Page 2

JUNKERS IN GERMANY.

CANDID WAR MINISTER.

General von Stein, the Kaiser's Minister for War, seems to oe one of the busiest men in Germany just now. H. is not., doing much .work ~at the War Ministry, -but when the is not giving interviews to a dozen different journals at once, he is writing highly indiscreet articles for the Junker newspapers.

;He has just published in Der Tag, the "great military organ," as he called it in one of his interviews, an article which is not likely to 'be much to the taste of its Junker readers :-. —

"Humanity desires peace,, so do I. Nevertheless, as a soldier I bail see but one way to end' the war—by victory. Every act of surrender as a sign of weakness, and an admission of defeat. 7 Whoever renounces the fruits of %'iotories ..places' the enemy '.in a position to proclaim himself the victor. The talk about. a peace by reconciliation is still going on. I can only see one way to arrive at a compromise between two ■belligerents. It is when both, to avoid greater dangers, make peace so that they may he able to turn against a third party. The whole of ishe Continental Powers for example > _might unite in a common stand aganist England and America—a course which they, would certainly adopt were their statesmen, gifted with sufficient acumen to Understand 'the situation, or if Germany were to explain this situation to them in tho clearest possible terms. 1 fear, howover, that these are contingencies on which we must not .place much , reliance." j

According to the Volksblatt, of Bocßuin, the Junkers are planning terrible things. . This much may be gathered from a discourse delivered at the Provincial Farmers' 'Congress at Merienburg by Herr von Oldenburg, of the Prussian Hou<se of Lord.s.

"When it conies to the worst," he said, "when finally the King of Prussia can be persuaded to vigorous action on behalf of that heritage of might which his great' ancestors have bequeathed him, who will then flock to his side to battle for the glorious House of the Hohenzollerns? Neither Bavarians, nor Wurtembergem, nor Saxons, but we Prussians, who have been subjected to unmerited humiliation at the hands of a Parliament that has gone mad. If, however, our King, instead of taking his stand for the rights of the Crown, allows the Reichstag to have it's way, he would do best to relinquish the tasks that devolve upon him in favour of the great Hindeuburg or Ludendorff whom Almighty God in His mercy has thrown into tho King's lap and in ours. The Government must he like a lion-tamer. At timfls it must stroke the democratic beast, at others make it feel the whip ; out he who always strokes will be devoured in the end. TUie voice of the people isjthe voice of cattle, and need not bo lictoned to."

The semi-official Cologne Gazette points out in a tone -which is almost •plaintive that if Germany gives up the min/ug districts of France and Belgium she will be seriously handicapping her charces of "winning the next war" :—Germany is a fortress iii the heart of Europe, .liable, .to be besieged on all sides. Hence it is imperative that her .mining districts should be amply protected, for without coal the whole of industries will cease to exist. Fron. the moment that our enemies are convinced that they can paralyse our ind nstrial activities and that we are.'snot in a position., to run the risk of anotrer world -war' after this one, our situation as a Great Power ill have conw to.an end. It is essential, therefore, that we and we only must dictate .a peace that *shall< leave ut/ strong enou.rh to istrike the first decisive blow in - the future conflict with our enemies.- - .""-.' r