The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-16
WARNS ENTENTE
AGAINST SEIZING
GERMAN LANDS
New Foreign Minister Also
Asks Plebiscite in AL
sace-LOrraine.
WOULD KEEP UP ARMY.
Willing to Reduce Military
Forces on Condition That
France Does Too.
is AGAINST INDEMNITIES
Insists on Equal Rights in
Control and Products Of the
Tropical Colonies.
is AGAINST INDEMNITIES


Tropical Colonies.
BASEL, Feb. i5.-The armistice
has been extended indefinitely, accord
ing to Treves despatch 10 the HAYES
Agency. The Germans are required
to cease their offensive against the
Poles and carry out the previous
terms Of armistice until completed.
BASEL. Feb. 16.--rn an address on
Germany's foreign policy delivered yes
terday before the National Assembly At
Weimar, Count Won Brockdorff- Rantzau,
the Foreign Secretary, condemned the al
legged French plan to join the Saar coal
fields to Alsace-Lorraine, and compared
1t Ito the old German expansionist aims
upon the Longwy and Eriey basins
He considered It undesirable that Ger
many and France should continue to
regard themselves as hereditary enc
mics. adding:
THE Peace Conference will have the
task Of creating guarantees which will
have the effect Of making such a stale
OF things appear nonsensical. but let no
one try to snatch from US portions OF
our rational territory which we regard
as Of vital Importance.
Moreover Germany cannot enter a
League OF Nations without colonies.
We approve the plan of international
control over tropical colonies on the
condition that all the colonial Powers
also submit to this proposal and that
Germany receive her approximate por-
ton OF colonial products.
''On the other hand we must expect TO
lose some valuable portions of our ma
tional territory. l refer to Alsace-Lor-
raine. Violence Is now being done to
the rights OF the present population OF
Alsace-Lorraine where the French troops
Of occupation regard the country as
de6nitely conquered and are driving out
or arresting all those elements In whom
they see an obstacle TO their imperial
istic deHgns. They also are suppress
ing the rights OF the people to use their
own language BY forcing them to adopt
the French tongue.
VIII Resist Demobilixa tion.
From the fact that the Peace Con-
| ference has come to no definite conclu-
sion regarding the fate OF Alsace-Lor-
raine. we draw the conclusion that we
are competent to intervene In favor oil
its rights 80 that Its voice may be heard
In the determination of It's destiny"
| The Foreign Minister said he had re-
sisted and would continue to resist al
lied attempts to make Germany demo.
bilize all her military forces. The tasR
Of the German nation as regards for.
| eign affairs might be summed up unde,
two heads. added the Foreign Secre.
| tary. of which the first was the ending
OF the state of war and the second the
establishment OF normal relations with
other peoples.
Unfortunately" he continued. Ger
manys voluntary disarmament has moi
softened our enemies. who recently at,
tempted to settle, on the basis OF dis
armament, questions undoubtedly apper
tanning to the Peace Conference. have
repulsed and will continue to repulsi
these attempts looking TO the dissolu
tion OF all our old military forces anC
the substitution OF new republican
| troops for our olG peace army, which
could be used In the East.
Germany has shouldered the conse
quences OF defeat and is determined Z,
observe the conditions agreed upon will
ner huVeTShrlet. ln6Se COn0ltlOnS imply
the complete remuneration OF the politica
aims OF the old Germany. We are ready
to accept restrictions upon our sover
eighty. the compulsory submission OF ou
differences with other States to an In
ternational court OF arbitration, and tn
renunciation OF our armament II our ole
adversaries and future neighbors subml
to the same restrictions
New CommerctaI Plan.
"Our adversaries owe their victory Il
large measure TO a war not military
but economic. II follows therefore tina
the final peace must not only be a polit
ical peace. but to a large measure al
economic peace. We hope therefore tina
the decision of the Paris economic con
ference will be abandoned. Any differ
entail treatment, even OF a temporar
nature, of Germany in the domain o
commerce and transport would not
acceptable TO U.S."
The Foreign Minister added that tn
Germans needed to revise their notion
regarding German commercial policS
which, he said had been associated wit
narrow and bureaucratic views In tn
Foreign Ministry. He said It was hi
intention to introduce experienced bus
ness men into the Ministry. Freedor
Of trade. the Minister said, had freedor
of the seas as its essential condition, an
J as far as Germany was concerned thi
point in the programme of Presider
, Wilson was of the highest importanc,
, In appealing for United German
and the reunion OF Germany and Austri
the Foreign Minister said
"If we now find each other again W
shall be only correcting the mistake
made at tho time the empire wa
founded. The peace conference assuredl
will not refuse its sanction to the rect
. hcatlon of this mistake OF the pas
Henceforth we must protest against an
violence being done to Germans and I
Austrians who are, 30 to speak. our fe