The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-04
GERMANS MUST
AGREE To PACT
OR FACE ARMIES
Every Known Trick Used by
Delegates to Get Conces-
sions From Allies.
BY FRANK Il. SlMoNDS
copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure
Nawsnanar Cvndfcafa1

newspaper SynQlcdL6J
PARIS, June 4.-The German re-
Spouse to the allied terms Of peace car
ries with 1t no surprise for those who
have followed German maneuvers in
the last three weeks. In presenting
the Germans with the terms, the al
lies granted their enemies q period Of
two weeks, which was subsequently
extended by one week, to discuss in de-
tail the various provisions. 1t was not
the intention of the allies that the
Germans should be permitted to argue
as to the justice or injustice OF the
terms, but merely to discuss the ma
chinery and method.
Germans Discuss Principles.
The Germans, on their side, have at
fected to believe from the beginning
that they were entitled to peace ar
rived at by negotiations, that they
were not defeated, and that they we're
entitled to all kinds of immunities and
privileges flowing from their inter
probation Of the fourteen points. They
had assumed from the beginning to
talk in the tone of injured innocence
and to appeal to precisely those pr1n-
ciples that they violated during their
days Of prosperity.
The answer that the Germans have
made is both defiance and appeal to
those elements in allied countries
which they have always succeeded in
deceiving, and have invariably been
able to mobilize in their own interests.
They are endeavoring to save them
selves by precisely that liberal faction
of the world which they have assailed
from the beginning.
Among the provisions Of the treaty
of peace are certain clauses demand
ing that Germany shall surrender the
territories which she took by violence,
provinces inhabited by Poles, by Bel
gians, by French, the booty Of sue
cessful Prussian war waged for ag-
grandizement from the days of Fred
erick the Great to those Of William II.
Germany demands that in each of
these provinces, taken by force OF
arms and ruled by tyranny surpass-
ing description, there shall be insti-
tuted a plebiscite, which means that
the people she has terrorized over
long years shall be exposed to new ter
rorism under cover Of self-determina-
ton.
Effort to Escape Sentence.
Every principle that Germany seeks
to invoke she seeks to invoke with
her tongue in her cheek. She is not
discussing the question on its merits.
She Is making a final effort to escape
just sentence by appealing to the emo
lions of some of the jurors. She be-
heves that because certain Americans
and certain British have criticized the
terms of the treaty of peace her pres
ent tactics will divide her conquerors
and enable her to escape. Thus we
have come to the supreme act alike in
the peace conference and the world
war. 1t is little less than five years
ago that Germany violated her own
obligations and those binding on her
as a civilized country and assailed the
liberties of the world. The men who
now control her were accessories to
that crime. While that criminal pro-
cedure prospered they loudly proclaim
ed the German purpose to dominate
the world and enslave the people of
neighboring countries. Today they en-
deavor to use the principles champion
ed and preserved by their enemies to
enable them to escape the consequences
Of their crime.
The German answer is a monument
of hypocrisy and an encyclopedia of
inveracity. It's authors have defied
the governments represented in Paris
in the last hope of rousing the people
governments.
Same Old Maneuver Again.
The maneuver is exactly the maneu-
yer of 1917, when the reichstag declar-
ed for peace without annexation, while
the government prepared for the spoil
alton of Russia, an operation which
ended in the treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The German believes as his action in
dicates, that allied unity has ceased
to exist, that allied need of peace will
compel allied statesmen to abandon
the just returns of victory and place
on the shoulders of their own people
the burdens of the German attack.
There is not from one end to the other
of the German document the slightest
suggestion of the existence Of new
spirit in Germany. Rather we see
the old spirit Selling frantically on
the new words of their enemies and
endeavoring to turn to their own ad.
vantage the principle that survives in
this world today only because of the
sacrifice of the allied armies.
The Germans protest that theirs is
new government, inspired by new
principles and led by new men, is a
lie on the face of it. The German con
tention that they surrendered their
armies, that their armies consented tc
the armistice because of Willingness
to accept the fourteen points, is a
cheap falsehood. The German armies
agreed to the armistice because they
were on the eve of utter destruction
The fourteen points were kept from
German people by the German gov
eminent to the very end. In the frs
week of November, 1918, the single
concern of German leaders was t.
escape the utter destruction of theil
armies that was impending. They sur