Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-25

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Apropos of the Germans effort to obtain
armistice, it is worth recalling the terms which
they proposed to force upon France when their
armies were winning and those which they put pitt
lessly through in 1871. Three years ago last June
the German professors, who supposed to rep
resent the Empires enlightened conscience rather
than its military extremists, declared in their
notable manifesto: I'VE must ruthlessly weaken
her CFrance) both politically and economically,
and must improve our military and strategical posi-
ton with regard to her. For this purpose it is
necessary, in opinion radically to improve our
whole western front from Beltort to the coast.
Part of the north French channel coast we must
acquire, If possible, in order to be strategically
safer regards England and to secure better
access to the ocean" Prior TO this pronunciamento
the closely informed Bernstorff, then German am
bassador at Washington, had outlined the German
terms follows:
"AI French colonies and all northwestern
France to be taken by Germany.
AN indemnity of two billion dollars to be
paid Germany.
"A tariff to be established allowing all
German goods to enter France free for twenty
five years without reciprocity for French goods
entering Germany.
''No recruiting to be allowed in France for
twenty-five years
''Al French fortresses to be destroyed.
France to surrender three million rifles,
two thousand cannon and forty thousand
horses.
"AH German patents used in France to be
protected without reciprocity for French pat
France to cut herself adrft from Russia
and Great Britain"
The spirit thus revealed is a natural heir to
the Prussianism of 1871. The cruel eXtOrtions
which the Germans of that day inflicted upon their
PROSTATE neighbor designed to be utterly
crushing. There the enforced cession of Alsace
Lorraine, sheer piece of brigandage
committed There was the war tax of more than
billion dollars, a staggering sum for those times
and that country. And there was the occupation
of French territory by ruthless Prussian troops
until the last scrupe of the pound of flesh had been
paid. But these are merely chapter headings in
that long story of persecution. At every step of
the procedure, from the beginning of the armfstice
till the last nsoent Uhlan clinked his spurs out of
Paris the Germans conduct that of browbeat-
ing avaricious tyrants William E. Simmons writ
ing in the New York World pertinently recalls
that they shamelessly violated the armistice which
they had signed: German troops assembled around
Cambria suddenly marched in direction
Rouen and in another on Arras. They raided near
Valenciennes, Douai and as far as Maubeuge.
Bourbakis army attacked Pontarlier and
three thousand of his men were made prisoners"
Furthermore, in the terms which they finally
rammed into the treaty of Frankfort, the Germans
ourageously ignored the assurances they had given
at the Convention of Versailles. 1t insisted
that the enormous indemnity should be paid in bull
lion, gold or silver, and should be paid on short
order, in huge installmens. 1t stipulated that
the railroads in Alsace-Lorraine, which pri-
vately, not GOvernmentay, built and owned, should
be turned to Germany unprovisionaly
for measure of compensation to the holders of the
bonds 1t required, moreover, that the COM
mercial treaty of 1862 and all others favorable to
Germans who had been expelled from France should
be given individual indemnities by the French Gov
ernment-a preposterous demand which, Mr..
Simmons remarks, Opened the door to endless
claims, of which Bismarck himself said, it was
impossible to estimate them -
Both in 1870 and in the present war, be it re-
membered, Germany was the aggressor She
maliciously plotted these raids, and launched them
for plumber and power. For every dollar of tax
and every square mile of territory which she ex-
torted in the first instance, she purpOsed to take
from ten to hundred in the later adventure. She
purposed, indeed to make herself so rich and so
mighty at the expense of others that there would be
no checking her march to world autocracy. These
facts should be borne in mind at this critical
ture in order that we may understand just what
manner of enemy it is that seeks to draw us into
eRtangling pareys and into a compromise peace.
We confront a grasping, merciless savage, treach-
erOus band of ntriguers. There can be no thought
of Allied statesmen initiating German perfidy when
they come to dictate terms any than of Allied
armies initiating German barbarity when they cross
the Rhine. Ours is the of cViliza ton and
justice and will be conducted. But for the very
reason that we shall be above resOrtng to German
ways, it is the more imperative that leave not
the slightest loop through which the enemy can
escape justice, to trip into his schemes later