New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-21

and a few districts have been ravaged,
either by reason Of the actual conflict or
because of German wantonness. This
represents capital loss, but It does not
represent capital loss greatly In excess
of that suffered by Germany In her colo
MES and in the paralysis or destruction of
her merchant marine. AS for French
casualties, they are certainly not In ex-
cess Of German proportionately, and Brit
ish are so far inconsiderable, compared
with German-2,250,OOO for the latter
against 100000 for the former, accord
ing to the last official figures. 1t should
be noted, too, that the German figures are
for Prussia alone, whose population is not
far from that of Great Britain.
Now, if peace were to be considered
to-day, it is plain that Germany would
have to evacuate France, and Belgium as
well. In no other way could she persuade
the British to permit her ships to sail
the seas, and she has no present means
Of compelling such British consent. But
this would be to restore things to their
exact status before the war. 1t would
mean that for her tremendous sacrifices
Germany had gained nothing from France
or from Great Britain, but had lost her
colonies.
Conceivably the British would not
make such bargain. Then what? Either
Germany would have to offer more or she
would have to continue in condition
which meant paralysis to her industrial
She might make peace
with France, with Russia, with all her
Continental enemies, but she would not
Re one step nearer the freedom Of the
seas than was Napoleon after he had con-
quered the Continent. She could, to be
sure, send her manufactures to Russia
and to France, if they were prepared to
resume friendly relations, but would
they be?
Here one strikes at the heart Of the
real disaster that this war has already
for German industry. Be
lore the war Germany dominated Rus
sian markets; she was able. through the
terms of the Treaty Of Frankfort, to sell
advantageously in France. But both Rus
STA and France have taken back their eco
comic freedom and both have strongly in
dicated their purpose to discriminate here
after against German manufactures.
British products, and
those Of the United States conceivably,
will receive more favorable tariff treat
rent than German when the war is over.
Again, up to the present moment Great
Britain has competed with Germany on
a parity in her home markets and in those
Of her colonies Nothing is more certain
han that after the war there will be- i'm
perial preference, and probably interna-
tional preference, between France and
Great Britain and their respective colonies.
i'm France and Russia and Great Brit
ain-to some extent even in Italy, not yet
at war with Germany-the bases of Ger
nan commerce have been swept away. In
addition there has been created anti
German feeling which will not disappear
for years and will act against German in
terests. in such a simple matter as ship
ping it is entirely unlikely that France
Or Great Britain will ever again permit
Germany to use their harbors as ports Of
,all in the transatlantic trade and in the
Mediterranean and Far East transport.
To offset this, what has Germany
gained? Her conquests in Belgium and
France are valueless, save only as they
provide a basis for bargaining with Brit
ain over the blockade. They look impos-
ing on the map, but actually Germany is
in the position of burglar who has got
into house and gathered up the silver,
but cannot get away with it. He has it,,
but it is of no immediate value and he
is prepared to trade it at any moment for
bis freedom of action, which corresponds
with Germany's freedom of the seas.
In her war with Great Britain and
France, then, it must be plain that Ger
many has been beaten. She has lost
more than she has gained. Her tempo
rary occupation of French territory does
not counterbalance the loss Of the use of
the oceans, the loss Of her colonies, the
hardships incident 10 the blockade. II
she held enough territory to cripple
French resistance, if what she held was
the vital portion of France ard her pos
session constituted a wound through
which France was bleeding TO death, it
would be different, but this is not the
case. She holds one twenty-ffth part Of
the French home area; the portion of the
reputation left in it is of no military
value. All she actually gains is through
the coal and iron mines which yield her
their products. But France gets coal and
iron by sea from Britain and the United
states, while Germany cannot get food
in any market.
rr,,rri,o, IN tho Fast il is clear that here