The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-10-15
RETU m Of SOIL
TAKEN NOT EhOUGH
By z. C. RODGERS.
!. z. A. Staff correspondent.)


washington, d. c., Oct. 14.-France
wall not be satisfied with any peace
which merely returns to her the ground
stolen by the Huns
Returning Alsace and Lorraine will
not be sufficient.
Germany must rebuild French fac
booty as well, as her stolen lands
Germany must rebuilt French FAC
tories and homes. The Germans must
hand back northern France but she
must hand it back as nearly as she
found it in 1914
This is the determination in French
minds today as interpreted by NJ. Ed
ward de Billy. present read of the
French High Commission to the United
States
In plain language, the Hun must re-
pair as well as restore.
1 came to this understanding of the
french peace program during a talk
with Commissioner de Billy at the
High Commi ssion's Washington head
quarters.
Anything less than restoration spells
future ruin for rance, the Commis-
sioner believes.
Hold Germany For All Injury
Germany must be held responsible
for all injury done to France the peo-
pie of France and tn. industries of
France, excepting those injuries un-
avoidable in warfare" Commissioned
de Billy declared.
Frances peace terms show plainly
through this question asked by her
commissioner:
Shall we be content when we will
have sent them, (the Germansl back
to their homes, and will not that war
be success for them, even without
any OF the annexations they claim, If.
when they retire they leave behind
them ruin that the power of produc-
ton of tie world will not be able to
heal, except in so long a period that
it means no healing2
And will We not be entitled TO in
sist that. from their own works and
factories. where much of the equip
ment of our factories are now en-
pfoyed, the Germans should be COM
PEELED to bring back all what is nee
essary to put back theings in the sit
uation whede they were before the de-
vastation?
1T would be mere justice. 1t is, be-
sides, the only way of restoring life at
once in the devastated regions. 1t will
be in the economic line, the realiza-
ton of the aims of war of the allies
who, in January, 1917. answered to the
demand of President Wilson that they
were fighting neither for annexation
nor inemnites; that they were fight
ing to defend themselves. having been
attacked; and that their aims were
threefold:
Preparation of damage done.
Restitution of what had been rob-
bed.
Guarantees for the future
cataIogs Hun Wantonness
lie RilIy poiptc ont the long list
of unwarranted and wanton acts COM
mitted by the Germans from the first
ay they set foot On French soil back
at the start of the war.
He called attention to the efficient
method Germany pursued in stripping
French factories Of all machinery and
destroying such machinery she
could not transport to Germany This
was done to ruin France after the wir:
to make it impossible for France to
compete with German trade in the
markets of the world: to make France
an economic dependency of the Ger
man empire. All this machinery stol-
en- from French factories, has been
sold to Germa MS, and most of it now
is installed beyond the Rhine.
Before France can accept any peace.
the commissioner believes she must be
guaranteed the return of this machinery
else her commercial life is ruined for
years, for. as NJ. de Billy says, German
factories at this moment are prepared
to start anew for the trade conquest |
of the world. and will begin the minute !
peace comes. France cannot get her |,
industries back to what they were in |
1913 within the next two or thret |
years, even with the help of the United |
States
That's why France is going to insist !
that no peace can come until Germany |
not only returns French soil to France, |
but returns French industries, puts |
back the machinery she stole, rebuilds /
the factories she destroyed, an re- !,
opens the mine shafts she dynamited. /