WHY GERMANY, MUST PAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 176, 21 April 1919, Page 5

WHY GERMANY, MUST PAY

+. , TWO FACTS TO BE REMEMBERED WAR LOST IF SHE DOES NOT PAY "We have to make peace with two clear facts in mind," says Mr. Frank n. Simondß, the famous American corres; pondent, in an article published by tho San Francisco "Chronicle," "that France must bo fortified against Gerinauv uutil sudi time as it has mado certain that Germany has 'changed Let ideas and her purposes—and we have no assurance that there has been any change, no sign of any change—and, fur. ther, wo cannot safely assume that since old men are still running new Germany, now Germany is anything but an enlarged and camouflaged edition of old Germany. It is perfectly impossible in present circumstances to put all our confidence in-the League of Nations and retire, leaving Germany more powerful than she was before, the sole gainer in all respects as a result of this war, since sho has devastated France, compelled Great Britain to mortgage her financial future to America, and reduced the commercial fleets of the world. "But how then are we at Paris to save the war? Obviously in two ways. The cose of Oft war must bo boruo either by tho Allies, who defended -themselves, or by Germany, who attacked them. Germany, in fighting the war, drew upon her 'internal resources aud can repudiate her debts; England and France and Italy were compelled to borrow orAmerica, and cannot repudiate their debts. Either the French and British and Italian peoples will have to stagger under tho burden of this debt—and in Uie case of Franco, under tho added burden incident to the destruction by the Germans of French industrial region—or that burden must bo lifted from Allial shoulders to German. "If tho Germans escape, if they can resumo the old game of arming, if French aud British and Italian taxpayers have to shoulder it, they would bo unable' to arm themselves adequately for selfdefence. It is essential for Americans to realise that tho question of reparation and restitution, even of indemnity, is not punitive, it is not a programme of plunder of Germany. It is only an effort to save, primarily, France, which has suffered most, but England and Italy as veil from the crashing burden placed upon them by the necessity of defending themselves against Germany.

■ Not of Revenge. "Above all, it is essential that Ainerican< should recognise that it is not. in a spirit of plunder, that it is not in a spirit of revenge, that tho statesmen o; Paris aro compiling a bill of damages against Germany. It is purely and simply a question of whether Germany shall pay for what sho did or succeed ill ruining those nations who vrero her commer:ia: rivals, both by systematically destroying their industrial machinery and by loading them with colossal debts incurred in defending ' themselves against German assault. "There is a too ready tendency in American quarters, here at least, to read into tho purpose of our Allies motivo and reasons which aro not there. _ In a very large degreo tho Germans wilt vin tho'war if they make tho people they attacked bear tho great burden of it, uiut oiico more we must remember that wo are still at war with Germany. In the second place we have got to restore the balance of power in Europe, destroyed when Germany eliminated Russia is a nation and as a forco in the world. "Unless wo can replace Russia- by some otlio.- force of equal strength there will bo nothing left in Europe capable of opposing 80,000,000 of the Germans occupying the oent.ro of tho continent, united, capable of indefinite effort, and having still open to them the temptation of world power; in fact, having it. open to them even more completely than it was in 1014, when they 'took their great gamble. "And this can be done, this new force can be created, only in one way. ]f ire shall creato real, strong,.national States in Poland aud Bohemia, in Rumania ni.rt out of tho Southern Slavs, as well as by completing the unification of the Greeks, wo shall have added to the bakuce against Gorman aggression more than 50,000,000 of people divided into four nations, but capable of very urgent development, capable of becoming real national entities, capablo at no distant time of fending' themselves and barring: tho G'ermaa pathway to power.".