[Illustration:  Gott strafe England.]

After the Sussex dispute was ended the Socialist organ Vorwaerts, supported by Philip Scheidemann, leader of the majority of the Socialists, demanded that the Government take some steps toward peace.  But the General Staff was so busy preparing for the expected Allied offensive that it had no time to think about peace or about internal questions.  When von Falkenhayn resigned and von Hindenburg arrived at Great Headquarters to succeed him the two generals met for the first time in many months. (There was bitter feeling between the two.) Von Falkenhayn, as he turned the office over to his successor, said: 

“Has Your Excellency the courage to take over this position now?”

“I have always had the courage, Your Excellency,” replied von Hindenburg, “but not the soldiers.”

In the Reichstag there has been only one real democratic party.  That is the Socialist.  The National Liberal Party, which has posed as a reform organisation, is in reality nothing more than the party controlled by the ammunition and war industries.  When these interests heard that submarine warfare was to be so restricted as to be practically negligible, they began to sow seeds of discontent among the ammunition makers.  These interests began to plan for the time when the submarine warfare would again be discussed.  Their first scheme was to try to overthrow the Chancellor.  If they were not successful then they intended to take advantage of the democratic movement which was spreading in Germany to compel the Government to consent to the creation of a Reichstag Committee on Foreign Affairs to consult with the Foreign Office when all questions of international policy, including submarine warfare, was up for discussion.  Their first policy was tried early in July.  Seizing that clause in the German note which said that Germany would hold herself free to change her promises in the Sussex case if the United States was not successful against England, the Navy began to threaten the United States with renewed submarine warfare unless President Wilson acted against Great Britain.

Reporting some of these events on June 12th, the Evening Ledger of Philadelphia printed the following despatch which I sent: 

“BERLIN, July 12.—­The overthrow of Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg, champion of a conciliatory policy toward the United States, and the unloosing of German submarines within three months, was predicted by von Tirpitz supporters here to-day unless President Wilson acts against the British blockade.

“Members of the Conservative party and those favouring annexation of territory conquered by Germany joined in the forecast.  They said the opinion of America will be disregarded.

“A private source, close to the Foreign Office, made this statement regarding the attempt to unseat Bethmann-Hollweg at a time when the war is approaching a crisis: