E-text prepared by Al Haines
| The title "GERMANY, THE NEXT REPUBLIC?" is chosen because the authorbelieves this must be the goal, the battlecry, of the United States andher Allies. As long as the Kaiser, his generals and the presentleaders are in control of Germany's destinies the world will encounterthe same terrorism that it has had to bear during the war. Permanentpeace will follow the establishment of a Republic. But the Germanpeople will not overthrow the present government until the leaders aredefeated and discredited. Today the Reichstag Constitutionalcommittee, headed by Herr Scheidemann, is preparing reforms in theorganic law but so far all proposals are mere makeshifts. The worldcannot afford to consider peace with Germany until the people rule.The sooner the United States and her Allies tell this to the Germanpeople officially the sooner we shall have peace. |
[Frontispiece: A DOCUMENT CIRCULATED BY "THE LEAGUE OF TRUTH"--THERED BLOODY HAND ON THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE]
GERMANY, THE NEXT REPUBLIC?
BY
CARL W. ACKERMAN
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
1917
PREFACE
I was at the White House on the 29th of June, 1914, when the newspapersreported the assassination of the Archduke and Archduchess of Austria.In August, when the first declarations of war were received, I wasassigned by the United Press Associations to "cover" the belligerentembassies and I met daily the British, French, Belgian, Italian,German, Austro-Hungarian, Turkish and Japanese diplomats. WhenPresident Wilson went to New York, to Rome, Georgia, to Philadephia andother cities after the outbreak of the war, I accompanied him as one ofthe Washington correspondents. On these journeys and in Washington Ihad an opportunity to observe the President, to study his methods andideas, and to hear the comment of the European ambassadors.
When the von Tirpitz blockade of England was announced in February,1915, I was asked to go to London where I remained only one month.From March, 1915, until the break in diplomatic relations I was the warcorrespondent for the United Press within the Central Powers. InBerlin, Vienna and Budapest, I met the highest government officials,leading business men and financiers. I knew Secretaries of State VonJagow and Zimmermann; General von Kluck, who drove the German firstarmy against Paris in August, 1914; General von Falkenhayn, formerChief of the General Staff; Philip Scheidemann, leader of the ReichstagSocialists; Count Stefan Tisza, Minister President of Hungary and CountAlbert Apponyi.
While my headquarters were in Berlin, I made frequent journeys to thefront in Belgium, France, Poland, Russia and Roumania. Ten times I wason the battlefields during important mil