The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-02
COST OF WAR

COST OF WAR
 Although the exaction of the cost of war has been expressly renounced as yet, Germany, thus cut in pieces and weakened, must declare herself ready in principle to bear all the war ex- penses of her enemies. which would exceed many times over the tota. amount of German state and private assets. Meanwhile her enemies de- mand in excess of the agreed condi- tions reparation for damage suffered by their civil population and in th-s connection German must also go bail for her allies. The sum to be paid is to be fixed by our enemies unilaterally and to admit of subsequent modifica- tion and increase. No limit is fixed save the capacity of the German peo-' pie for payment. determined not by their standard of life, but solely by their capacity to meet the demands of their enemies by their labor. The Ger man people would thus be condemned to perpetual slave labor
 In spite of the exOrbitant demands, the reconstruction of our economic life is at the same time rendered impos- sible. We must surrender eour mer- chant fleet. We are to renounce all foreign securities. We are to hand over to our enemies our property In all
 
 countries of our allies. Even after the conclusion of peace the enemy states are to have the right of confiscating all German property. No German trad CT in their countries will be protected from these war measures. We must completely renounce colonies and not even German missionaries shall
 asthe right to follow their calling IF TIT m.S je 4assaV4 renounce the -, : :. d '<eqssH a,na a,m' nj in ,aaa. the
 DICTATORIAL TOWERS
 Even in internal affairs we are to give up the right to se1f-determina- tion, The international reparation commission receivese dictatoriaI pow CTS over the whole life of our peo- pie in economic and cultural matters its authority extends far beyond that which the empire, the German federal council and the Reichstag combined ever possessed within the territory rf the empire. This commission has un- limited control over the economic life of the state, of communities and of individuals Further the entire edu- cational and sanitary system depends on it. It can keep the whole German people in mental thralldom. In order to increase the payments due by the thrall. the committee can pass meas ures for the German worker.
 Other spheres also Germany's sover- eighty is abolished Her chief water ways are subjected to international administrations; she must construct in her territory such canals and such rail- ways as her enemies wish; she must agree to treaties, the contents of which are unknown to her; to be concluded by her enemies, by the new states on the east even when they concern her own functions The German people is excluded from the league of nations, to which is entrusted all work of com mon interest to the world.
 SIGN DEGREE OF DEATH
 Thus must whole people sign
 the dcree for its own prescription,
 nay, it's own death sentence.
 Germany knows that she must
 make sacrifice In order to attain
 peace. Germany knows thnt she
 has. by agreement, undertaken to
 make these sacrifices and will go
 in this matter to the utmost
 limits of her capacity.
 1. Germany offers to proceed with her own disarmament in advance of all other peoples, in order to show that she will help to usher in the new era of the peace of justice. She gives up uni versal compulsory service and reduces her army to 100000 men, except as re- gards temporary measures. She even renounces the warships which her ene- mics are still willing to leave in her hands. She stipulates, however, that she shall be admitted forthwith as state with equal rights into the league of na- tions. She stipulates that a genuine league of nations shall come into be- ing, embracing all peoples of good will, even her enemies of today. The league must be inspired by feeling of re- sponsibility towards mankind and have at it's disposal a power to enforce its will sufficiently strong and trusty to protest the frontiers of it's members ?. In interterritorial questions Ger many takes up her position unreserved- ly on the ground of the Wilson pro- gramme. She renounces her sovereign right in Alsace-Lorraine, but wishes a free plebescite to take place there. She gives up the greater part of the pro- vince of Posen, the district incon- testedly.
 Polish in population. together with the capital. She is prepared to grant to Poland under international guaran- tees free and secure access to the sea by ceding free ports at Dantzis, ko- nigsberg and Memel, by an argreement regulating the navigation of the Vis- tuia and by special railway conven- tions.
 Germany is prepared to insure the supply of coal for the economic necjs of France, especially from the Saar region. until such time as the French mines are once more in working order.
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