The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1919-05-09
DID REGIME RULES
GERMANASSEMBLY.
Many Old Faces Remain and
Many New Ones Are Not
Unlike Old.
REICHSTAG SPIRIT PREVAILS
Only One Member Has Admitted Ger
many Had Part In Starting the
War--Hun Doesn't Understand
Why He Should Suffer.

The German national assembly has
demonstrated two things clearly. II
II unable TO do business much more
speedily than the old reichstag, chief
ly because there is little unity and
much dissension between the parties,
and the old order of things has
changed very little despite the new
faces.
The latter is perhaps the most i'm
portant point, because the assembly
was hailed by German papers-and
particularly by the agencies that sup
ply the outside world with news--as
the birth OF the new republic, the be-
ginning OF new regime, the living en-
blem of The passing Of the old.
.. II is new in sense, and the old
regime has passed, perhaps, but there
are enough of the old people left and
so many of the new people are not
much unlike the old that the effect In
the Weimar theater is not much diff
ferent from the reichstag. One hears
precisely the same arguments from the
floor, watches precious time fly by over
the same and similar arguments as
used to make one despair of construc-
tive legislation.
One Admits Germany's Guilt.
Perhaps the most striking thing Is
he tone of the great majority of the
party speeches. Just one delegate has
lad the courage to attack the con-
iervatiyes and the moral strength TO
90 on record as admitting that Ger
many had something to do with start
,1g the war. Man after man, regard
ess Of party, has. In specifics proved
to his own and the houses satisfaction
that Russia. France or England, not
Germany, started the war.
TO tell the house that the German
treatment OF Belgium forever forbids
German complaints from being eff.
fective. The great bulk at least Of
northern Germany, seems TO have
adopted the attitude:
= well, It's all over now. We. the
people, didn't start the thing at any
rate, so let's start out even and square,
With no hard feelings on any side"
The assembly is the priacipai out
Iettfor every known kind Of pTcpa-
;anda, INDUCED in nearly as vehement
and excitcdly by the sUrial demo-
spptc oS nv film ooDcnrxa SgV,ac lyipct
here Is The Alsace-LorraiHe question.
comes up three, four, dozen times
session, and always rOuscs the same
nthusiasm. Every old and shopworn
rgument is trOtted ont and cheered.
has never occurred TO the Germans
lat on the other side of the fence
lere are fairly good arguments 70 sup
lrt Frances retention Of these PROV
,ces.
The junction with Austria prOvokes
almost equal enthusiasm, and II
ould seem as IL half the speakers IN
Ft Ii In their speeches for that par
Ise alone. The SChleswig- Holstein
lestion has come 10 the front lately
I'd Germany is filled WitA propaganda
show that SchleswaR GazJhId and
ust remaln German. no sReGHH NJ
mplete without ct leAsN Q FsferaAAe
Poland and GzechO t0Vaaye, and yet
1t one Of the speakers but eA0wp tAEai
ese questions will be .SectiGA NsR s6Ssa
III, by the peace confera1A
Is Same ~ kA
The failure OF the 0es@sD On ehaARp
,erially is in no way @R - %
Served than In IDS attls@ q 10
lestlon OF the conHuct Of q > NHs: II
only rarely that criticfIH eedp2s
ard in the house, and tAs seasonal
cling seems to be that If anythiaEsHs
r0ng with it, that Is all % On &lIgs
id should be forgotten or WvWEeB NJ
Gcrmany's enemies.
The prisoner OF waR 9uegOAGn @.R1
Ealing TO the studeRt ~ 0eRInaR e
ology just now - anythinG
rtually every speakSR touches ae
prisoner question pore be p
tribune. Tell a GSknan AxSs
armistice made - prc~ea6a 10
return of German aRisoAetA
Sond, that, while GsrMAny bSsa
food, she attenspte Mt the
ne to saddle herSele with SIN
ore mouths to feed. and it has - a
Ct on him. It canNst be shes@ 10
the welfare of sAe prisoAsAA "
use plenty of Germans know 800 4N
ell how slim food is.
Listening to delegates to the aaap4e
", and talking to Germans ouSE G
the correspondent ffndS that SeA
erman viewpoint he learned to Nd
% well during the war uAtil the
with America is still abroad a u
7ahd, though In less truculent AEA
The German does not understand n
hes now should suffer; why sweuv
cannot be placed on baslS e n
quo ante; why anyone shHata
against him the conduct OF - "a
with which, he claims he -
ing TO do.