The Washington herald., 1914-12-11
Germany's Terms.

German colonial Office is generally understood tc
be the chief publicity agent of Germany in thi.
country. Our German friends thought somestim.
ago that England had the ear of our people to bet
ter advantage than they did. DR.. Dernburg is the
son of an editor of the Berlin Tageblatt, and he
for several years in this country in the banking
house of Ladenburg, Thalmann & Co., in New
York. After his return to Germany he occupied an
important official banking place there, and put
at the head of the colonial Office in 1907 because il
was thought that his American business training
had peculiarly fitted him for this work. He has
always been known as warm friend of the United
States and German who has understood this
country better than the majority of his country
men. He has host of friends here.
In the most of what he has done to enlist SYM
pathy for his country since coming to the United
States. DR.. Dernburg has shown the wisdom of
the Kaiser's choice of agent to carry out the
purpose he had in mind. We believe it is fair to
say that up to the present time he has avoided all
such errors of public utterance as those made in
such glaring way, for instance, by the writers
whom Herr Ridder employs to furnish editorials
for the Staats-Zeitung in New York. When DR..
Dernburg therefore, calmly sits down to write for
the Independent, as he did last week, statement
as to just what terms Germany will demand if she
is entirely victorious in the present contest, the
greatest attention should be paid to what he says.
These are the words of candid sober-minded and
extremely intelligent German gentleman. We wish
to make this preface emphatic, because do not
think the essential impossibity of the German po-
sition in this tremendous struggle and the utter
righteousness of the idea that it could ever be
favored by the American people has ever been put
more plainly than by DR.. Dernburg in his Inde-
pendent article. Also DR.. Dernburg shows just
what Germany has been after from the start and
that the truth as to German ambition is the same
was stated at length in these columns few days
ago.
After declaring that Germany does not wish to
take any fresh European territory, nor seek for
any kind of territorial expansion in Europe-be-
cause she does not wish to add to present diff
culties regarding lack of homogeneity in her pop
ulation-hc says that it has been proved that Bel
gium is only "vassal" OF England and France, and
that, therefore, for Gcrmanys own protection Bel
gium must come under German control"
Belgium has only herself to thank for her
present plight She was so entangled with France
and England that she could not accept the German
chancclors offer of integrity, indemnity and full
rendered both before and after the fall
of Liege. Belgium chose to stand or fall with Eng
land and France. Therefore, she must accept the
fortune of war if it goes against her. Moreover,
Belgium belongs geographically to the German
Empire. She commands the mouth of the Rhine
the biggest German stream. She should have be-
longed to Germany from the outset. While no at
tempt is likely to be made to place Belgium within
the German Empire alongside of the kingdoms OF
Bavaria Wurtemburg and Saxony, the connection
between Germany and Belgium must be strengthen
ed by including her in the German customs union;
and, furthermore, the harbors of Belgium must be
secured by some practical means against British or
French invasion In a word Belgian independence
must cease.
The German argument is that because the Bel
gans did not surrender their neutrality without a
struggle as soon as Germany asked them to do so,
and defended their homes like men and heroes, they
must now see their country blotted from the list
of the nations of the earth. What right have they
to be separate nation anyway, when they are in
control of the mouth of the Rhine? independence
with them is an absurdity.
Can it be possible that DR.. Dernburg really
thinks that the liberty-loving people OF the United
States will assent to ideas like these than which
nothing more subvcrsve of the primal rights OF
men and nations has been heard in Europe sncel
the days of Attila? If Belgium is to be snuffed out
in this way because it is for the interest of Ger
many to do So how much longer will Holland sur
vive, Denmark, or Norway, or Sweden, or, in
deed, any other European nation, small or large?
What savage mockery it is for Germany to rcpudi-
ate the charge that she is not seeking world do
ninion and that her ambitions without danger
to the peace of Europe, when here in America her
spokesman has the hardihood to stand up and utter
such sentiments If it is really true that this is
what Germany is after, the conviction is forced
upon US against all our efforts at disbelief that she
IS nation gone mad.