Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-20

moment when all the world is at last
approaching the enormous value of
tropical colonies.
French rule thus seems firmly estah-
lished in northwest and west Africa
Already in the recent war Franc.
drew from these lands more than half
million fighting men. in addition to
several hundred thousand laborers In
AlSiers and Tunis million Europeans
have already settled and Latin civili-
cation has already been restored over
vast regions. On French Africa Ger
many has always looked with covet-
Gus eyes. Ibwill be recalled that Ger
man statesmen declined to give the
pledge demanded by Sir Edward Grey
when the world war was breaking.
that they would respect the integrity
of French colonial territory If Brit
ain stayed out of the war and France
was beaten. Now there is an end of
the German menace. the perpetual de
mand for Compensation" the innu-
merable incidents" and crisis by
which Germany preserved at home
and abroad the legend that she had
claims upon her neighbors' colonies
because she was stronger than they
were.
Belgium. like France. escapes from
the same peril. Belgian kongo has al
ways been the object of German
scheming. Bounded by German terri
tory alike on the east and the west.
after Germany had pushed her ten
tacles eastward to the Cbanghi in
the Agadir time. Belgium could see
the steady advance of German
strategic railroads. approaching her
African estates as they pushed up
to her European frontiers. for the
same military purpose. And when
Belgium had been conquered no Ger
man even considered the possibility
that Belgian Kongo would be returned
to it's owners. Now. with Britain and
France as neighbors. Belgium can rest
secure in Africa. while in Europe. too,
she has found new guarantees against
German aggression.
Britain Makes Real Profit.
Great, however. as have been French
gains in Africa, it is Britain who
makes the real profit Two thirds of
the German colonial territory falls to
her. In addition to half of the Togo
and relatively small slice of the
kamerun. she acquires all of German
East Africa and of German Southwest
Africa. The dream of Cecil Rhodes is
thus realized. and the "all red" strip
of British territory extends without
interruption from the cape to Cairo.
While the German base of intrigue.
propaganda and maneuver in South
west Africa is abolished. the eastern
half of the great Africa continent is
henceforth British, and the Cape-to-
Cairo railway can march on British
territory from one end of Africa to
the other.
In extinguishing German rule in the
south Britain has forfeited her posi-
ton in the Union of South Africa. In
annexing German East Africa she has
eliminated a possible base for future
German submarine attacks upon the
Suez route to India. Moreover in OBJ
tanning world recognition of her pro-
tectorate in Egypt, at the moment
when her armies hold Mesopotamia
and Arabia, she has at last become
complete mistress of the most vital
communication lane for her empire in
the world. In the last war the Suez
canal was never cut, Egypt was never
actually invaded. but German-led
Turkish troops reached the canal and
German agents succeeded in stirring
up rebellion in Egypt itself.
Criticism of this vast British gain
is. moreover. totally unwarranted
During all the years that Germany
was building up her African estate.
Britain viewed German acquisitions
without jealousy. Germany's right to
colonies was never questioned. and
in the case of the Portuguese colonies
Britain agreed that, when at last. as
was inevitable. Portugal was com
PEELED to sell them. the larger part
should go to Germany. Even in the
willing Germany should obtain from
France compensation on the Ubanghi
for French gains in Morocco, provided
only German greed should not ask
impossible concessions.
Germany Has Herself to Blame.
The German has himself solely to
has lost his whole African empirc.
Neither the French nor the Britsn
sought to extend their domains at n -,
expense. Neither conceived or nou.
ished grandiose schemes for creatin1c
a still vaster African empire by an
nexing German lands. Rivalry there
was between the German ami fine
Briton, between the Frenchman and
the Briton-competition which, in the
case of France and Britain. led to
tense moments and acute crises. But
both Britain and France recognize
German right to a place in the Afr
can sun.
BY contrast-the German regarded
his own considerable holdings as i'm
portant solely as bases for the acQui-
sition of the lands of his neighhore-
He was constructing maps and plans,
inspiring rebellions and disorders IN
British and French territories alike.
The same spirit that was revealed IN
pan Germanism in Europe was dis
closed in the whole African chapter
of German history. And. in the end.
self-preservation demanded that the
French and the British should ma
an end to the intolerable condition
incident to German conduct in Africa.
Nor can one fail to take note OF
the methods of German colonizatlcn.
In modern history there is no page
more soiled. In German Southwest
Africa almost the entire native popu-
lation was eXterminated. after war
provoked by German brutality, con
Quoted in the manner later used in
Europe. To the very last in al or
her colonies Germany continued 10
employ methods which make the his
tory of the campaigns which ended in
the occupation of her colonies by
French, British. Belgian and Portu-
guese troops record OF almost I'M
exampled horrors
In Africe Germany had a great
chance She possessed a million
square miles of territory. Her treaties
with Britain, affecting Portugal, held
out the promise of great increases.
It might easily have been possible to
reach basis of bargaining with
France, provided she had been will
ing to consider the most moderate of
concessions in Alsace-Lorraine to eN-
tinguish that everlasting danger spot.
Even in the case of the Belgian kon-
go, she might eventually have had
the approval of the European powers
to substantial increase in territory
in this direction, provided Belgium
were willing to part with what many