Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-14
THINKS GERMANS FACE
''ANOTHER WATERLOO"
Mr.. Simonds Sees Defeated Nation Choos-
ing Return of "Old Gane" to
Anarchy and Chaos.

things had produced cold chills from
Petrograd to Paris
Nothing was more natural than
that the mass of the German people.
skillfully infiamed by propaganda di-
rected by those who had controlled the
propaganda machine of the nation for
years. in peace and in war. should
saddle upon the existing regime re-
sponsibility for national humiliation.
which was, in fact. the inevitable
outcome of the crimes and blunders
of the men who had disappeared
Preparation Impossible.
The first sign of an actual German
reaction would carry the French into
Frankfort. Mannheim; Baden would be
occupied almost within few hours.
In the presence of French and British
heavy artillery and airplanes the
Germans could offer no counter prep
aration. German railways. practical
ly in a state of paralysis in the clos
ing hours of the war. have been still
further crippled by the surrender OF
vast numbers of engines and cars TO
the French and the Belgians. Finally.
and this circumstance is capital. the
blockade would be reinstated without,
the slightest delay. and the old ter
rible conditions Of the war briefly
restored.
! This amounts to saving that any
successful German uprising. any rep-
etition of the events of 1913 would
be next to impossible today, because
of changed conditions Not even a de-
spairing resistance. such as France
gloriously maintained after GaVelotte
and Sedan seems even to he thought
of Only one possibility of success
could exist and that would grow out
of the refusal of French. British and
American troops to fight. That ire
French would refuse to fight under
IL he circ G a to me unlike
ly Nor is it less unlikely that the
British would desert their recen, al
lies, with the practical certainty thai
| victorious German armies Woulo
shortly arrive at the straits OF Dover
that is, within range or Lonoon,
/ once the Big Berthas were sci up
again.
Can Be no Reaction.
In sum, s a military proposition 1t
seems to me that any successful DER
man reaction would be lmpossiole'
Rut this is not TO say that Sucn re-
action may not take place II II p,atn
that the present regime cannot Iase
long now The tide has set against II.
Wisely or unwisely-and ii seems 10
me unwiSely-the allies nave Deeh ui-
able to ADOPT a policy when mlght
have made the survival OF the presehs
regime possible. Such a policy would
not have been based upon sympathy
with Germany or originate IN any
miSinterpretation OF certain Ger .ndh
facts which the war has established.
1t would be founded upon sell lnteres,
rather than idealism, but it would
take cognizance of the fact that III All
Germans are equally suspect as con-
sequence of recent events, certain
Germans are still manifestly more
dangerous than others and none so
menacing AS those who Were actually
| in control when the late war came,
as a result of their plans.
If the present regime in Germany
falls. as seems almost certain. one OF
two things must happen-elther the-
| "oId gang will come back or Germany
will sink into anarchy and chaos The
| latter possibility seems less likely
But if Whe "old gang" comes back II
can only conduct itself in one way. IL
| is as incapable of learning as were
steadily maintains mat Germany
| present evils are due to the weakness
! of the present regime in the presence
| of the allies. But once restored TO
power. it will have to adopt the otner
| course, both because of its permanent
character and it's recent critislsm, ana
| the other course leads straight TO
new military operations.
| new war with the Germans VIII
hardly be a long war. because the
world cannot endure any new strain
which is prolonged. If the British and
the French people consent to fight
| the Germans again. it will be because
| it offers a short solution to problem
I, for which any other solution seems
interminable. That the Germans Will
succumb even more quickly than Ma
! poleon, whose second span was meas
ured by the famous hundred days.
seems to me inevitable. A second de-
| feat may exhaust the remaining cred
it of the old regime. just as the Ma
poleonic star set at Waterloo. 1t will
certainly bring new conditions of
peace, a new world settlement. but in
that settlement very few of the prin-
ciples Diseased at Paris Will be con-
sidered But terrible as is the pros
pect of new hostilities. it begins 10
seem as if there were no other way in
which to have done with the Ger
man.
New Uprising Unlikely.
The odds against a German uprising
remain heavy. The absence OF any
real chance of success must act as
deterrent to the military men who
are behind the new as the old stirring
of German junkerdom. But the very
weakness of the existing regime
seems to insure a swift fall, and after
that fall the generals and the junk
ers will have no choice but TO take
hold. and taking hold to put into
practice the ideas they have been
more and more openly preaching. To
put these ide as into practice leads, IN
my judgment, to Waterloo and not 10
Leipzig, but even this certainty can
ba rdIy prevent the junkers from
grasping the reins once more.
America has settled back wearled
and bored with European affairs. CIV
ing attention only to domestic con-
Germs and internal problems, but IL
must at least be recognized on TINS
side of the ocean that, far from I'M
proving. the European conditions are
Steadily worsening. and Europe Is
once more, in Germany as in Italy. on
the Baltic as along the Adrianc. on
the edge of a fresh upheaval Within
The mast few weeks we have had
startling reminders that allied policy
has failed when applied to Russia.
Italy. Germany and Rumania: FROM
the Baltic to the Balkans such peace
as exists is, to say the least, precari-
Gus. and in more than one instance
domestic revolution and foreign war
seems to be running a close race
tCopyrisht, 1919 Mcclure Newspaper Syndicateo