Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-04-04
Some elling Germans
New York Evening Post.

Not few German oftcialS and newspaper
are just now indulging in fine flourishes of de-
fiance. "Not an inch of territory will Germany
surrender" affirms the finance minister. And
in various quarters in Germany there seems tc
be stiffening up of effort to present an UNI
yielding front to the allies If the Germans
think the peace terms outrageous, they will no,
sign. They will either go bolshevik or challenge
the enemy to 60 ahead and do his worst. This
may be nne-tenths bluff, but it is an increasing
ly frequent attitude in Germany. Particularly
vocal are those Germans who protest that they
founded in Justice"
Most of us know we'll enough what to think
OF all this, and how to deal with it. 1t may be
of interest, however, to listen to the indignant
voices OF Germans telling their complaining and
clustering countrymen the truth. There is, for
example, the legend of an "unbeaten" Germany.
But when Erzberger was defending before the
Weimar assembly his conduct of the armistice
negotiations. he addressed himself to this
point. One delegate reproached him for too
easily accepting too severe terms. The German
armies were still intact etc. To this Erzberger
made the sufficient and crushing answer: "Dr.
Vogler has forgotten, to Judge by his speech, the
not unimportant fact that we have lost the war
Later on he said: II bear witness before all the
world that Germany neither will no can con-
tinue the war" Such cold douches of fact might
we'll be applied to some of the fervd German
orators and editors from whom we are hearing
nowadays.
The most powerful exposure of the Germans
who are today whining about an unjust peace,
is made by the veteran liberal, Theodor Wolff,
in the Berliner Tageblatt Of February TO- He
roundly asserts that no peace imposed by the
allies upon Germany could be half so onerous
and savage as the peace which German big
business, in alliance with German militarists,
A.
mics. Even if the entente is aiming at an inn
perialist peace, it would be quite according to
the pattern set by the Pan-German industrial
lists" Herr VOLTS arraignment of the govern
ment is terrific. His setting forth of the argu-
ments which Germany has furnished to her foes
is so clear and searching, that some of his re-
marks fairly beg to be printed in the form of
question and answer:
O. What does the French press say when it
attempts to justify it's robber claims to the Saar
district and the left bank of the Rhine?
A. 1t always reproduces the annexation
program of German big business as favored by
mlltarists.
@. What reply do we get when we demand
that America, after all her promises, really sup
ports mder and juster treatment of Ger
many?
A. We are reminded of the cannibalistc
outbursts of rejoicing with which big business
feted the sinking of the Lusitania
Q. What do they say to when we pro-
test against being robbed OF our merchant fleet!
A. We are reminded that in the unrestricted
U-boat war we sank other peoples merchant
fleets.
@. What is the answer when we ask to have
our prisoners of war back?
A. We are told that we separated the wo-
men and children of North French towns from
their families to do forced labor that we de-
ported Belgian workers by thousands to labor
in the German muniton factories.
0. What do they tell us when they demand
the surrender of tools and machinery on our
part?
A. They tell us that German war industry,
with the approval of its military friends, re-
moved every machine that could be used from
the factories of Belgium and Northern France,
and that machinery which could not be taken
away was scientifically destroyed.
Q. And, lastly what are we told when
protest against the league of nations being made
an instrument of oppression?
A. The answer is: "Brest-Litovsk."
Such condemnation of whimpering Germans
out of the mouths of Germans is as refreshing
as it is rare. We all hope that the peace terms
laid upon Germany will not be insupportable.
But she ought to be made to know that in strict
Justice she deserves no mercy except that
shown to repentant criminals.