Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1919. UNREPENTANT GERMANY.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 February 1919, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1919. UNREPENTANT GERMANY.

If anything were wanting to strengthen the conviction that the Allies made a mistake in granting any armistice to Germany except on the terms of unconditional surrender it would be the arrogance of Scliiedmann's recent utterances when addressing the German National Assembly. The world is told that Germany demands the inline diate conclusion of peace; the restoration of Germany’s colonies and territories; the immediate repatriation of German prisoners, and the entry of Germany into ihe League of Nations with equal rights. The world is also informed that any peace of violence will be rejected. Herr Ebert states the German delegates to the Peace Conference expect to take a lively part in the discussion and not submit tamely to dictation. These vaporings might well be ignored with contempt, as illustrating only the vein of egotistic insanity which pervades the whole wretched nation. What Germany demands and what she will get are probably widely different and the result is likely to be that the discipline will be more severe owing to the truculent attitftde adopted. In fact new armistice conditions have been enforced, more stringent than the previous ones and Marshal Foeli was evidently prepared to s’)tand no nonsense, but insisted on their acceptance without delay. But though Germany’s new leaders—newly emerged from obscurity—may be merely making themselves the laughing stock of the world by their bombastic insolence there are one or two matters which the Allies will have to consider seriously. The first is that Germany is openly defying the Allied Powers by carrying on hostilities agaius tthe Poles, liindenburg commanding tlio new attack which was begun in defiance of the armistice. The next is that propaganda in favour of the restoration of a strong army is now in full blast in Germany and steps are being taken to mobilise the whole manhood of the country. Hie third is the announcement that Germany would, if forced beyond certain limits let loose a wave of Bolshevism in Europe which though it would produce world chaos would be preferred by Germany to a painful saerificJui death. This latter threat- has been ridiculed by the press on the quite reasonable ground that il the present German "leaders were to let loose those weirdly horrible forces now lecognised as Bolshevism they would be signing their own death warrants. The first country to be overwhelmed by the wave of anarchy, would bL“ Germany and (the first victim of Bolshevik lustful hate and cruelty would be Ebert, Seliiedmaiui and their crew. But it is never safe to speculate as to what madmen will do. They may in

that bv some treaty with tin:- Bolsheviks they may save their own skins while letting free what they admit to forces of destruction on (the world. They may ignore the fact—if they ever knew it—that those who start a contlagration with the elements of lawlessness, hate and anarchy are always amongst the first to be overwhelmed. Then again we must remember that though the term Bolshevik originally meant a section of Russian Socialists an extremist section, the existence of which was explained, and perhaps to some extent justified by the aristocratic tyranny of the Romanoffs —the speci al brand of what is now known as Bolshevism was made in Germany. Needless to say it was not made for homo consumption, but as a deadly poison gas was used with great circumspection and startling success to destroy Russia not the old autocratic Russia, but the newly born democracy which Germany recognised as a great danger to her at that time. The initial experiment was so successful—it gave the Kaiser one of his greatest- “victories,” — that there is every likelihood the experiment will ho repeatd. It is true there are two factors now which will cause the experiment to fail to a certainty, and incidentally will probably lead to tlu* destruction of the present (German loaders. Bolshevism is dangerous to tamper with and its effects are particularly deadly in countries weakly governed and where there is widespread hunger, poverty and distress. When Germany first invoked the aid of Bolshevism it was a different country to the Germany ot to-day. Then, flushed with what it considered victory, and its people eagerly looking forward to the plunder which was to recompense them lor all losses and piivations, and the conquered territory which was to make the nation the greatest and most prosperous on earth, anarchy lawlessness, and the overthrow of 'authority were far from theli thought. To-day beaten, degraded, the pariah of the nations, their rulers discredited and in exile, the people though they may not realise tlio full extent of |hc national degradation, know they are faced with poverty and distress that, punishment in some form is awaiting them, and that their leaders have betrayed them. Therefore in the present temper of the German people it would he a madman indeed who would let loose the forces of anarchy. It will be a difficult task to prevent, them breaking loose in any ease. It is also dear that 'Bolshevism which proved so deadly in poor ignorant betrayed, downtrodden Russia will be comparatively innocuous in the domderatic nations which have just emerged triumphant from a fight for' establishing justice, freedom and tlio right of sclf-Government.. Tf Germany carries out this threat, it will

be to her own destruction. As to tlio resumption of hostility in Poland and the attempt to mobilise a big army it may force the Allies to prompt action. Though any resumption of hostilities would bo deplored it is very evident that no real progress can be made in evolving a League of Nations to ensuro the world peace if Germany has not yet learned the lesson of the past four years and is prepared to openly defy the Allies by attacking a nation weaker than itself.