The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-12-07

aration in money and in kind for
wanton destruction and to restore
stolen provinces. To make Germany
pay one-quarter of the costs Of the
war, the war which she precipitated
for selfish profit, will be to put her
in a state Of poverty for decades to
come. If, in addition, the nations
she has wronged, either collectively
or separately, boycott German indu-
tries, and there are millions OF peo-
pie who will do this personally in
any case, then German industry will
be practically ruined. =
s =~ All Over Again 49,
10 escape the just sentence, the
equitable consequences Of her crimes,
Germany, whether socialistic or Ho-
henzollern, will agree to anything;
she will use every effort to manouvre
around the League of Nations dis
cussions in such shape as to escape
payment-we are seeing evidences OF
this purpose every day. But if she
makes promises, will she keep them?
And If she doesn't. then the French
and the British may have it all to
do again, and we-perhaps we shall
wait three years before coming to
their aid in our quarrel next time, as
we did this time. 4.s-
The weakest League of Nations,
that is, the form which carries least
protection against attack, will be
sufficiently strong for us. We can
run risks which no other great ma
ton can think of running, but have
we the right to ask other nations
with far greater immediate dangers
to surrender their means of defence
because we, immune from those dam
gers ourselves, have decided that
such a course is the one thing that
will satisfy US? Shall we ask the
British to turn over the Grand Fleet
to the direction of an international
body? Shall we ask them to agree
that If the German embarks on an
other war, with it's ruthless circunl-
stances, that they will still refrain
from taking the only course which
can defeat German barbarisn?
The Consequences
Will the people OF the United
States agree that we should keep a
standing army Of 100000 men in Eu-
rope indefinitely to enforce the de-
cisions of League of Nations? Will
the senate ratify a treaty which
binds us to preserve the integrity OF
Czecho -Slovakia, of Poland, of the
Tyrolean Republic? Unless we guar
antee the French against the Ger
mans, they will have to protect
themselves, and the British will have
to stand ready to aid them again if
Germany goes off the reservation.
Are we ready to fight italy to pro-
tect the right of the Jugo- Slavs, or
fight the Jugo- Slavs to protect Italy?
We shall have to be ready, too, IL
the League of Nations undertakes to
regulate world affairs and we under
take to supply q portion of the police.
We have had the Holy Alliance
and it lasted effectively for less than
is years. We have had the Concert of
Europe, and 1t never was effective.
Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, even
Greece defled It with impunity. We
have had International commissions
in Macedonia which spent most of
their time visiting the ruins of towns
destroyed and studying the scenes
Of massacres, impotent to prevent or
to protect. We have had The Hague
Tribunal and the Geneva conven-
tions, but the German has used poi
son gas, not arbitration, and bomb
ed, not avoided, the mark OF the Red
Cross.
The more one examines the ques-
ton of the League of Nations the
more often one comes back to the
point of view Of the Europeans. If
all nations were equally bound by
the ordinary conventions OF good
faith and humanity no League Of
Nations would be necessary. But as
long as any nation holds to the ideas
and morals Germany has held to for
more than century. no League of
Nations can protect any nation
against German assault, because
with Germany a member of that
league the league viii be obliged to
accept German pledges as honest,
when they may prove as worthless
as before.
The German Is Unchanged
We have to make peace with a ma
ton which has committed innumera-
Bile and unspeakable crimes against
civilized mankind. We have beaten
Germany by arms and by concerted
effort. But we have not changed the
German. At least we shall need
some good and sufficient proof that
he lis changed before we can believe
it, and for that time is necessary.
Notwithstanding this, notwithstand-
ing the injuries which our allies
have suffered and the long and init
mate acquaintance with German
methods which they have had. we
are now coming dangerously near to
an attitude in which we at least an
pear to demand that our friends dis
arm in the presence OF their ene-
mics and ours. We are running the
risk Of quarreIing with those who
have fought shoulder to shoulder
with us. having held the line against