The Dominion THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1919. A DISARMED GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 156, 27 March 1919, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1919. A DISARMED GERMANY

The Peace Congress has given the first part of its condemning judgment on Germany for her criminality, and the sentence is disarmament on land and sea. For two generations Germany has been a "nation in arms"—a menace to the world's peace—but the Congress has decreed that for some time to come at least she shall be a nation without arms, or only with sufficient arms to police her land or defend her frontier. No sea Power ever made such a humiliating .surrender as did Germany when her navy— the second in power in the worldsteamed as prisoners of war into the Firth of Forth and into Scapa Flow. Never before did such colossal armies cease to fight and retreat into their own country—surrendering munitions, guns and territory—as did those of the Central Powers in 'November last when the Versailles Council gave forth its decree. The preliminary peace terms of the armistice silenced for ever the brag and bluster of the Kaiser, and the peace terms, as now agreed upon by the Congress, will deprive Germany of the power of aggressive action for years to come. The terms seem to be of such a nature as to show that the Congress is determined to run no risks.

The.naval power of Germany is made by these peace terms a thing of the past. The ex-Kaiser, voicing no doubt tho ambitions of tho Potsdam war lords, said in 1895: "Our future is on the water," and he got the Reichstag to vote year after year more and irorc money for warships. In 1905 he declared, as the head of the navy, that Germany would maintain her "place in the sun," and would strive after _ a "world-wide dominion." As time passed he had the largest and most powerful army- in the world, and ho declared to his brother Henry: ''I will not rest till 1 have brought my navy to the same height at which my army stands." The goal of Germany's naval ambition, as thus expressed by the Kaiser, was not only to have a navy cf]ual to the most powerful navy in tho world, but superior to it. In eight years, from 1904 to 1912, Germany more than doubled her naval expenditure, while Britain in the same period did not increase her expenditure ten per cent. Germany had domination over every country in Europe in coal and iron, and progress on the lines of the expenditure voted would very soon give her the greatest navy in the world; and H would only be a matter of time for Britain, an island kingdom with a great oversea Empire, to be hopelessly outclassed on the sea by an empire to which, for defensive purposes, a great navy was unnecessary. ' In 1911 Germany had in battleships, cruisers and destroyers [ no fewer than 170, while Britain had no more than 260 of such ships and the United States only 104. Torpedo craft are excluded in these figures. Kiel Harbour became ono of the great naval depots of the world: the strategic canal from 'Kiel to the Elbe, constructed originally for £8,000,000. was widened and deepened to carry warships of the deepest droughts; and Heligoland, acquired by a cunning deal from Britain in IS9O, was made a fortress second to none in the world. These developments all pointed to a preparation on Germany's part for a mighty contest on the sea as she was preparing for a contest on the land, ont of which she hoped to arise with a groat oversea empire. And now all this is ended like a spent bubble. The 171 ships of 1911 (and after that greatly increased) are now to be 24, the stupendous fortress of Heligoland is to be destroyed, and the Kiel Canal will likely be internationalised, as the Rhine is, and other nations will keep watch on it. The naval disarmament of Germany is effective and complete. The Peace Congress seems to have made as impotent for aggression the land army of Germany. Only one-tenth of the 1913 Budget is to bo spent on it, and its strength is not to exceed 100.000 men, including 4000 officers. How are the mighty fallen ! In 1912 Germany had an army of 626,000 on a peace footing 'and 5,000,000 on a war footing, and she was not then at her 1914 strength. In 1912 the peace footing of Britain was 250,000 and her war footing 391,000—truly a "contemptible little army" alongside tho German Colossus. The peace terms stated, taken in connection with the dismantling of forts, the limitation of guns and munitions, and the prohibition of an air fleet, seem to make tho disarmament of Germany complete. This is only the first part of the sentence of the Peace Congress on Germany; there is more mercy than punishment in it; and the German people will probably accept it without protest. In the humiliation of defeat they will have an opportunity of learning thai; the gospel of brute fo'.ve and that might is right is as uiisafo in the long run for the nation ,-ts it is fm , Hit , individual. The beatitudes of Nietzsche, such as the following, in the hour of her shaini , will sound like grim satire: "Ye have heard it said, ''blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the eiii'th; but 1 say unto you, blosi-ed arc the valiant, for they

simll niiikc the earth tlmir thro?ic. "Yα have heard it siiid, blessed arc the peacemakers, but, I say unto you, blcssod arc tho war-makers, for they shall be called, if not the children of Jahve. the children of OdiNj who is greater than Jahvb."

Odin, the false god of brute force, has failed Germany, and her disarmament must make her know this, but mere disarmament is no punishment, for it frees her from a tremendous expenditure of money that even up to 1914 was causing year after year heavy deficits. Germany disarmed, is freed from a heavy burden of taxation, and the abolition of conscription will mean a mighty increase to her industrial army, and it will hasten her economic recovery. But the Peace Congress has not yet done with Germany. Justice has hardly yet begun. Germany said she would leave her vanquished foes , so punished that they would only have eyes left to weep with. No such cruelty will be shown to Germany however much she deserves it. But she must make reparation and restitution for her criminality, and the decision of the Allies on these matters will be made known within the next few days , . Justice may come with leaden feet, i but it strikes with iron hands.