CHAPTER XIII

GERMAN RESOURCES

The Food-Supply--War Expenses--The Copper Supply--The Call for Gold--No
Outside Resources--The Human Sacrifice.


Counting Montenegro and Servia as two nations, there are now seven
countries at war against Germany, Austria, and Turkey, and two more,
possibly three, may join in within a few weeks. If Greece enters the
battle-line, it will be ten nations against three. When Roumania and
Italy join the Allies, as is now being diplomatically arranged, Germany
will be completely surrounded, with Switzerland, Holland, and Denmark
in a measure locked in and powerless to give aid or assistance to the
Germans. Indeed, these three smaller countries and Scandinavia are
practically locked in now, with the North Sea placed in the war zone,
and Italy as well as Denmark and Holland shutting out all contraband
goods for reëxport to Germany and Austria.

Thus we have the spectacle of two nations of more than 115,000,000
people actually surrounded and besieged. Jointly these two nations in
occupation of their entire territory could feed themselves from their
own soil. They cannot be starved out, as in a besieged city, for lack
of bread, meat, or drink. But the siege at the present time is not
against the people of Germany and Austria: it is against the
war-machine of Germany. This war-machine can be starved out when cut
off from gold, copper, rubber, and oils. If these cannot be cut off,