Evening star., 1919-06-16

equal terms, as soon as peace has
been signed. This Is on condition that
clauses are inserted guaranteeing
complete equality in trade conditions
/ and the prevention of economic war
| fare and exclusion by boycott.
Germany agrees to the basic Idea
| regarding army. navy and air regu-
| lations. and especially the abolition
of compulsory military service If this
! is the beginning of a general reduc-
, tion of armaments and abandonment
of compulsory military service. A pc
| riod of transition must be allowed
during which Germany may retain
| such forces as are required to pre-
serve internal order before reducing
| her army to the 100000 limit. On
| condition that Germany enters the
| league at once. she agrees to disman-
| tie the fortreSseS in the west and eS-
tabliSh a neutral zone. But no Spe-
ciaI supervision of the process of dis
armament except that of the league
can be admitted and an extension of
time must be granted after discussion
on the basis of equality.
Oral negotiations to settle details
with respect to the surrender of war
ships and aviation measures are pro-
posed.
Much space is devoted to territorial
questions. all the disputed territories
being taken up. Particular attention
is paid to the Sarre district. with its
important coal mines. The popula-
tion of this district. it is asserted. has
been attached to Germany for more
than 200 years. and the people today
are as German as they were 100 years
ago. The sepa aration of the Sarre dis
trict. the Germans say, is to compen-
safe France for coal destroyed in the
north.
But. it is contended. such a ques-
tion can only be settled on an eco
nomic basis. not by tearing away a
nationally undisputed territory and
degrading the league of nations by
involving it in the transaction.
The. German government declines
to make any reparation in the form
of punishment and still more emphat-
icaily declines to pass on to lndlNid-
ual parts of the population the pun
ishment intended for the whole COM
munity. The annexation of the Sarre
district to France would mean the
creation of another Alsace-Lorraine.
Germany claims. and says the whole
question must be reconsidered.
Admit Injustice in 1871.
Still insisting that for the greater
part Alsace-Lorraine is German, the
Germans admit that according to
present conceptions of right an in
justice was COmmltteQ IN 1911. Wnen
the people were not consulted. Ger
many. therefore. has promised repa-
ration. but it would be no reparation
to cede Alsace-Lorraine, with its i'm
mensely increased economic wealth.
to France at once. A vote must be
taken. allowing choice between
union with France, union with Ger
many as free state and complete
independence.
Germany has agreed to an inde-
pendent Polish state, but the terms
of the treaty include in it a number
of totally German towns and extern
sive German tracts of land for mill
tary or economic reasons. without re-
gard to nationality or history. it is
cOntended. This particularly applies
to upper Silesia, and strong protest
is entered.
Germany cannot consent to the sew
erance of East Prussia from the Ger
man empire. Germany is ready to
cede to Poland such west Prussian
territories as are indusputably Polish.
1t is demanded that Danzig remain
with the German empire. but Ger
many is ready to make Memel,
konigsberg and DanZig free ports in
order to secure to Poland the prom
ised access to the sea and grant spe-
cial transit facilities under specified
conditions reciprocally applied.
If any German territory is ultimate