KAISER'S BURDEN OF RUIN AND BLOOD

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13808, 25 September 1918, Page 4

KAISER'S BURDEN OF RUIN AND BLOOD

—— tot— — THE BITTiER GRY OF THE GER-

MAN MOTHEJR&

-; The ranting, canting. Kaiser,- replying to the ironic "congratulations" of his 'Chancellor on the thirtietih. anniversary of Germany's most terrible misfortune, Wilheta-a accession to the throne he has so foully dishonoured, declares that "God the Lord has ladd a heavy burden" on his shoulders. Has he ever pani&ed in his reckless lust of' blood to think of the burdens he himself hag. • laid on the

shoulders of his helpless' people?

THE FORBIDDEN CRY.

His mad ambition has brought death, to three millions of-his. 1 troops, and infinite suffering to all who survive. Already the demand of the German mothers for peace—■'' because .peace means food, and to-day there is no food"—has grown so loud, so bitter and so insistent that the Government has entered on yet one more campaign against it., It is led by Dr. Rathe Schirmacher in the Berlin "Lokai Anzeiger" in an article wihich. reveals far more than it seeks to conceal:——

'' German ; pothers have no easy task to make both- ends meet. The mother must think and worry herself to distraction —often 'wear herself out—to obtain; the., very necessaries of life, particularly where earn ings are so much smaller and food so much' dearer. '

"What does mother want? Bread muchbread, and by bread she means everything edible, all the good things we had in peace time--^-<fatj sugar, butter, eggs, meat, milk, sausage and >bacon. That is why" -mother wants peace.

"But does ©very kind of peace ibring bread? , No,, mother, not every kind. If we had peace to-day our land would not flow with milk and honey. Where is it to 'com© from? Europe is like a desolated, neglected garden: which wsJI not at once yield ite former abundance. Mother must recognise* this. It will ■■ tafce rears to get these supplies' again.

"Mother must not let her heart control her tongue and make her shout: 'Peace at amy price; ratlier to-da,y than to-morrow.' The enemy will hear the cry* He will ruib his hands, and cry : 'Peace ? You can have it —a German death peace.' "Perhaps he will leave' us our small trinkets, for the present only,but he will pay us not a, penny of indemnity, and will give ue no yarn or wool, not a piece of leather, no rubber or copper. . . .

"Peace would be worse than war. And as we do not wish to live after the^ war in endless, helpless misery, we'must hold out till we obtain, a German life peace." A RUINED PEiAOE. Commareially , and economically this demented ruler has brought ruin and disaster ow a. people who could be described on a. people who could be described four years ago as the most prosperous in the world. In the "Vossische of Bth June, Dr Peter Stubmann. the prominent Reichstag deputy, outlines the position with noteworthy frankness :— "U-boat warfare and reconstruction policy appear to Eave nothing in common. Between them lies peace.

"Yet it appears to me that every policy which, restrains our activities in the first year of peace helps England to recover from the blows dealt her by the U-boate. If we "organise' alter the war the free movement of exports and imports (ac we propose to do) until she is crippled, we shall not regain those markets we held before.

"All the transition' periocl plans known to-<lay are too much concerned with, internal, affairs. There is much' 'organisation.' and many pretty plans, but it seem® to ha>ve been overlooked that what is required is a powerful development of business initiative in the markets "of the world.

"When our war requirements cease the demand for export goods will soon grow. But woe to us if the purchase of raiW stuffs on the world market and the free development of sea traffic to oversea places ore hinerded by over-orga.'nisa.t.iOn oh con ceritrated internal lines."