Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-02

to Versailles in the expectation Of re-
ceiving peace proposal based on the
agreed principles. We were firmly re-
solved to do everything in our power
with a view to fulfilling the grave obi
cations which we had undertaken. We
hoped for the peace of justice which had
been promised to us. We were aghast
when we read in documents the demands
made upon us by the victorious violence
of our enemies. The more deeply we
penetrate into the spirit of this treaty
the more convinced we become oil the
impossibility of carrying it out. The
executions of this treaty are more than
the German people can bear.
"With view to the establish =
ment of the Polish state we must re-
nounce indisputably German territory
nearly the whole of the province Of
West Prussia, which is preponderantly
German; of Pomerania, Pomerania :
Danzig. which is German to the core
we must let that ancient Hanse town
be transformed into n free state under
Polish suzerainty. We must agree that
East Prussia shall be amputatcd from
the body of the state. condemned TO
lingering death and robbed Of its north =
ern portion, including Memel, which IL
Upper Silesia for the benefit of Poland
and Czecho- Slovakia, although 1t has
been in close political connection with
Germany for more than $50 years. is
instinct with German life and forms
the very foundation of industrial life
throughout East Germany.
"Preponderantly German circles
(Kreisc( must be Ceded to Belgium
without sufficient guarantees that the
plebiscitc. which is only to take place
afterward. will be independent. The
liatrtnt nF tho SnrrH
must he detached from our empire and
the way must hr paved for its subse-
ournt annexation to France. although
we owe her debts in coal only, not in
men.
Calls Terms Perpetual Slavery"
"For fifteen years Rhenish territory
must be occupied. and after those fifteen
wears the Allies have the power to re
fuse the restoration Of the country; in
the interval the Allies can take every
measure to sever the economic and moral
links with the mother country and tnally
To misreDrcsent the wishes OF the in
digenous population. !,
Although the cxaction of the cost OF
the war has bpen expressly renounced as
vet. Germany. thus cut in pieces ana
weakened. must declare herself ready Ill
principle to bear all the war expenses
of her enemies. which would exceed
many times over the total amount OF
German state and private assets. Mean
while, her enemies demand i'll excess OF
agreed conditions rcparatlon for damage
suffered by their civil population and in
this connection Germany must also go
bail for her allies. The sum to be
paid is to be fixed by our enemies
unilatcrally and to admit of subsequent
modification and increase, No limit is
fixed. save the capacity Of the German
people 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 German
people would thus be condemned to per
petual slave labor.
'In spite of the exorbitant demands.
the reconstruction of our economic life
| is at the same time rendered impossible.
! We must surrender our merchant fleet.
We are to rsnounce all foreign securi-
| ties. We are TO hand over to our
enemies our property in all German en-
terprises abroad, even in the 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 trader in their
| countries will be protected from these
war measures. We must completely re-
nounce our colonies, and not even Ger
man missionaries shall have the right
| to follow their calling therein. We must
| thus reuounce the realization of all our
aims in the spheres of politics, economics
| and ideas. ~
Must Sign Death Sentence
even in internal affairs we are to
give up the right to self determination.
The international reparation commits
sion receives dictatorial powers over the
whole life of our people in economic
and cultural matters. Its authority ex
tends far beyond that which the empire
the German federal council and the
Reichstag combined ever possessed