The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-19

nAiASd. <AllCduy Ill lL1S IcScuI WoIp
France drew from these lands more
than half million fighting men, in
addition to several hundred thousand
laborers. In Algers and Tunis a mil
lion Europeans have already settled
and Latin civilization has already
been restored over vast regions. On
French Africa, Germany has always |
looked with covetous eyes. It will /
be recalled that German statesmen |
declined to give the pledge demanded |
by Sir Edward Grey, when the world |
war was breaking. that they would |
respect the integrity Of French colo
NAL territory, II Britain stayed out Of
the war and France was beaten. Now
there is an end of the German menace, |
the perpetual demand for "compensa-
tor" the innumerable incidents" and
crisis. by which Germany preserved
at homo and abroad the legend that
she had claims upon her neighbors'
colonies, because she was stronger
than they were.
Belgium Escapes Peril
Belgium, like France, escapes from
the same peril. Belgian Congo has
always been the object Of German
scheming. Bounded by German ter
ritory alike on the east and the west,
after Germany had pushed her tena-
cles eastward to the Ubanghi in the
Agadir time, Belgium could see the
steady advance Of German strategic
railroads, approaching her African es-
tates, as they pushed up to her Eu-
ropean frontiers, for the same mill
tary purpose. And when Belgium had
been conquered, no German even con-
s;dered the possibility that Belgian
W0nld ha 10 SfS
ers. Now, with Britain and France as
Eeighbors, Belgium can rest secure, in
Africa, while in Europe, too, she has
found new guarantees against Ger
| man aggression.
Great, however, as have been the
French gains in Africa, 1t is Britain
| who makes the real profit Two-thirds
| OF the German colonial territory falls
| to her. In addition to half of the Togo
and relatively small slice Of the
Kamerun, she acquires all of German
East Africa and of German Southwest
| Africa. The dream Of Cecil Rhodes
is thus realized and the "all red" strip
OF British territory extends without
interruption fro mthe Cape to Cairo.
While the German base Of intrigue,
propaganda and manoeuvre in South
west Africa Is abolished, the eastern
!
henceforth British and the Cape.to-
| Cairo railway can march on British
territory from one end Of Africa to
the other
| In extinguishing German rule in the
south. Britain has fortified her posi-
ton in the union Of South Africa In
annex1ng German East Africa she has
! eliminated a possible base for future
German submarine attacks upon the
Suez route to India. Moreover, in OBJ
tanning world recognition Of her pro-
tectorate in Egypt, at the moment
when her armies held Mesopotamia
and Arabia, she has at last become
complete mistress of the most vital
communication lane for her empire in
the world. In the last war the Suez
Canal was never out, Egypt was never
actually invaded, but German-led
turkish troops reached the Canal and
German agents succeeded in stirring
up rebellion in Egypt itself.
i Criticism Unwarranted.
i Criticism of this vast British gain
as representing an imperialistic spirit
Is, moreover, totally unwarranted
During all the years that Germany
was building up her African estate,
Britain viewed German acquisitions
colonies was never questioned. and in
the case of the Portuguese Colonies
Britain agreed that, when at last as
was inevitable Portugal was compelled
to sell them, the larger part should
go to Germany. Even in the case OF
the kamerun, Britain was willing
Germany should obtain from France
compensation on the Ubanghi for
French gains in Morocco, provided
only German greed should not impos-
sible concessions
The German has himself SOLELY to
blame for the fact that in the end
he has lost his whole African empire
Neither the French nor the British
sought to extend their domains at his
expense. Neither conceived or nour-
1shed grandiose schemes for creating
a still vaster African Empire by an
nexing German lands. Rivalry there
was between the German and the Bri-
ton. between the Frenchman and the
Briton, competition. which in the case
; of France and Britain led to tense mo-
ments and acute crises. But both Bri
tain and France recognized German
right to place in the African sun.
German Brutality Seen
, BY contrast the German regarded
his own considerable holdings as i'm.
portant solely as bases for the acquis-
} ton of the lands of his neigbors. He
was constructing maps and plans, in
spring rebellions and disorders in
British and French territories alike.
: The same spirit that was revealed In
Pan-Germanism in Europe, was dis
J closed in the whole African chapter Of
German history. And, in the end, self
preservation. demanded that the
French and the British should make
an end to the intolerable conditions
incident to German conduct in Africa
Nor can one fail to take note Of
the methods of German colonization