Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-08
H PEACE TREATY

completed, and the written copy Of the agreement which
is to bring to a close the greatest war ever waged is in
the hands of the representatives Of Germany, the power
which provoked the war for the working out OF. its own,
ambition, and which has gone down to ruin in the utter
failure of its attempt to impose its own domination on the
world.
Because of its extreme length no attempt has been
made to furnish the text entire for publication in the
press at this time. Instead there has been furnished for
the use Of newspapers an official summary in which the
features of the treaty are compressed into about one
fourth of the original text. This summary is published in
full in The Herald. 1t is the only text issued for publica-
ton at this time, and no other paper has a more COM
plete description Of the treaty than that which came over
The Herald's special wires yesterday afternoon.
The wording Of the treaty certainly seems to furnish
no basis for the cynical statement that has sometimes
been made that Germany, thoughAdefeated in the war,
was a winner at the peace conference. THE treaty spares
Germany in neither her pride. her territory nor her
pocket.
In the preamble the Allied and associated powers at
firm, and Germany admits Germanys responsibility for
many categorically admits her military defeate. She con-
sents to the abandonment of her entire military policy in
the reduction 0f her army strength to 100000 men. and
of her navy to- negligible proportions. The great naval in
strument which she spent years in building and perfect
ing is to be disposed OF as so much junk by the conquer
ors. "f " 80 r.
OF all her former possessions in Africa, Asia and the
South Seas: not a square yard remains to Germany. She
yields back to France the two provinces which she took
by force nearly fifty years ago, yields up at least temper
airy possession Of other and adjoining territory and agrees
that even in a wide area when is to remain indisputably
German she will rae all her Notifications. The Kiel canal,
the pride of the former kaiser. is to be undefended. and
to become the common highway Of the nations. The in
%habitants of former Danish territory which was stolen by
Germany are to determine by their votes what their ,fu-
ture national 4tatus shall be, and Germany will havesno
opportunity to influence the result. Poland, destroyed by
the sword. is recreated by. the sword Certain sections of
territory recently held by Germany. are to be restored TO
Poland absolutely, while in other portions the -inhabi-
tants, by theirtuncontroNed votes. are to decide their
own future for themselves. go d tEt:%f Sc
The sums of money which Germany agrees to pay
are almost incalculable. To pay in money FOR even the
pecuniary damage caused by the war is an impossibility
and that impossibility has been recognized all along. The
question to be solved has been, not how much aggrieved
ard injured nations and individuals were entitled to re-
ceive, but how much 1t was possible for Germany to pay
ard maintain her own existence, and, therefore, her con
tinued power to pay. 4 -, Nv Il
The peace Germs were handed to the German dele
gates on the anniversary Of the sinking Of the .Lusitania
to recall. They were presented on the anniversary of tina
PSAASNs NV oAAS Z" Saw SN0 06S' WIG SS y AAnA
forces, flushed with the success of their March offensive
were gathering themselves together for the delivery OF
what they hoped TO be their final and successful blows
so near were they to victory.
When the treaty Is signed Germany will be restored
to official status as a Friendly" nation, that is, warfare
between her and her former enemies will have ceased
and diplomatic intercourse will be resumed. But, aside
from the fact that real friendship must grow, and is moi
brought about by the signing of treaties. Germany is not
to be restored to a basis Of equality with other nations
Moreover, Germanys fulhllment of the obligations which
she assumes. is not to- be conditioned solely on her own
good faith. She is not to be permitted to promise. ant
then, when all means Of compulsion have disappeared, te
snap her fngerspin thet faces Of her conquerors and re-
pudiate her contracts. German territory will remain gar
risoned by Allied troops until the terms of the compact
have been fulRlled, and Germany will exist In in the ::ful
knowledge that the powers formerly at war with he,
have at all times available for use the physical force
Necessary to make her keep her contracts.
Viewed from any angle the terms are humiliatint
to Germany. They ought to be. The spirit Of revenge
should not enter in, but it is necessary for the peace, ane
therefore the safety Of the world that there should h
presented the impressive spectacle of the -proudest .ant
most arrokant nation on earth brought down into tn,
very depths Of. humiliation as a result OF her own viola.
don Of the fundamental laws Of civilization. .~%
Technically there Is always the possibility that TIL.
German authorities may refuse to sign the treaty. Practi
eally that ~poss1iuiity scarcely exists. But in the unexpect
ed event Of refusG, The Allies have matters in their iow,
hands. They have the military power to occupy ali o
Germany, and they have the economic power to annfhi
late0Gernany by denying her access to and communities
ton with the outside world. Possessing this knowledge
We may expect Germany to accept the terms ana be slae
OF the opportunity. s.
II viii take the Germans some time to digest thoa.
ip>sce propcalss which are = good deal longer than IN,
lmoraI law And the chAncss are thats tk4 process sofl.dt
sestierr wiils be acconp.nisd by severe Datnrs IN tho al
lstksssttys orgsns.
Asssns seyents Il and 81 e~ipneeton WITH the ,psae,
.fesnsssshcs sSsgea TIT it 49, during esotiat,ens a