The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-27
Biz Problems as to
Cermany's Military
BY RENE VIVIAN.

tForrncr Premier Of Francc.)
PARIS. March 26.--Where arc
we at? II IL perhaps worth while
10 strike tho balance Of tho nc<o-
tiations which are being pursued
in a state Of sc1ni- mystery at the
Quai- D'Oraay.
ReIascd paaArs0y at cvenftxic
sse the great windows Of the
grand salon OF the foreign minis
try h<illianti, illuminated. Far
into the night there arc gathered
mp there around the green table
the sdusilous men whose good In
tentions arc beyond donbt settling
the worlds fate.
For how hong and how do they
settle IL? Rumo<s make the
round: fresh rumors spring MP
directly contradictiny their pre-
dexrs<ors. Now some one viii
say that everything win be settled
within . few days. Can the be
true? Decidedly not Indccd.
f0w questions have bcen scttiekS-
even IT all have hoen considered.
Then 1t is thought that. depending
on social. political and economic din
cuIties which detAin IN Or recall then
to their respective countries, the an
tente pienipotentiaries desire to wtnt
up affairs rapidly in order to Be- abb
TO return home. Decidedly 1t n . dit
fcult task, often conflicting. which de-
wolves upon them. and the passing o
time, which is irretrievably lost doe
not tighten It.
Some cay that It is In the armistie,
contract. which by its very nature 1
not subject to ariiamentary rat1ncA
ton, that the great problems wiu b
solved, This is difficult to believe.
Finally. there Is = third group o
reopie who believe the worlds statu
will not b. settled and that from nj
m isunderstAndings inovived in hast.
arrangements there will be born futur'
difficulties which it 10 possible TO fore
see. not counting sHch ~ cannot b
foreseen.
We must be frank. Soma excite
ment. or wsrry lit fea5a. vasF arouset
by the recent decision Of the council
of ten concerning the conclusion
reached by the commission on inter
allied control. The decision concern
the disarmament OF Germany.
II wac decided to reduce the Ger
man forces to 100000 soldiers. to b
considered as forming a sort OF ma
tionaI police force for the maintenance
OF order. That is we'll. or at leas
would have been well, If the decision
had stopped there. But the council
Of ten does not impose upon German
this military restriction except durirl
the period while negotiations are un
der way. adding that this does no
mean financial negotiations, whicl
must necessarily be very long draw
cut
We may summarize this decision
thus:
Germany cannot keep more thar
100000 men under arms until the da,
when we shall have settled with he
the questions which n1ilitarfiy or eco
nomically concern her frontiers an
ours, as we'll as those Of Denmark
Russia Poland and the people Twin
on the territories Of the former Ans
tro-Hungartan empire After tha
she may resume her former activit
and re-estAblish her army. And ths'
this army being re-established. ~
shall discuss with her tho financia
questiore--thaA y 10 say, what sh
owes the world In indemnitieS Of a
kinds and how she shall pay.
We consider this decision q disas
trous ono ana indeed hope the peAc
conferences win not accept II unde
this form. Where. then, In tho urea
effort rs destroy Cermsn militartsm
II is because this militarieYh was
permanent menace to civilization tina
the free peoples took up arms agains