The Washington herald., 1919-03-16
Germany, Beaten in Big
War, Abreast of Allies
In Struggle for Trade
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.


condition rest. But how TO change
this condition. how to take from
Germany her economic advantage,
how to let go of the tail OF this
bear. is a puxzlins question.
Cost teo Great.
OF course the simple thing to do
would be to notify the citizens
OF Coblenz, Cologne, Mayence,
Frankfort and Essen that on a
certain date these towns would be
blown Up. their factories looted,
their industries devastated; all
their suburban villages up and
down the Rhine reduced to pow
der and the farms OF the Rhine
land sown to salt. But that can
not be done Perhaps this terri
tory might be annexed for indus
trial purposes for fifty years; but
that would require an interallied
standing army of 100000 men, and
the cost OF maintaining these men,
and the industrial cost of keep
ing them out of productive pur-
suits at home would offset the
value Of their military services.
Yet the mere assessment OF dam
ages will not pay for the harm
that is done. no matter how large
the damage sum is made. For
the value of money fiuctuates: and
the very size of the necessary
sum is liable to cheaper II. 1t
has been suggested that the Ger
man prisoners be set to work re-
storing the ruined villages and
cities and farms; but that will
take years. and leave Germany
striding ahead in the worlds mar
kets. To put an economic boycott
on German goods maks II impossi-
BILE for Germany TO sell her prod
ucts and pay her debts to the al
lies; for she can't raise the money
by swapping chips and whetstones
among her own people. The prob
lem has no adequate answer.
In the meantime il may be well
to consider Germany's interior sit
uation. Germany has demobilized
her army more rapidly than any of
her enemies. These soldiers are In
German towns. living upon the war
bonus which the German govern
ment has guaranteed to unem-
ployed soldiers. Moreover, in most
large German cities these soldiers
and their families are feeding at
mess kitchens. Some Industries
are going on part time. but for tie
most part, although the factories
are open, genuine industrial anima-
tion is suspended. Opinions differ
as to the cause of this suspended
animation. A distinguished Ger
man economist, who before the war
was professor in a New England
University and who was invited TO
leave America because of his Ger
man activities, declares that the
war bonus is keeping the workmen
from work. He contends that they
are loafing on the job. and he rath-
er definitely fears Bolshevism in
Germany. Strikes are occurring in
many Industries. And while on the
surface Of things Germany is pro-
ceedinz In an orderly manner, un-
derneath Is a vast unrest which
may produce anarchy. And cur
tously enough one of the things
which may produce anarchy IL
political: It will be. large war bill
from the allies.
Truth Hidden.
For the Germans have not been
told the truth by the new govern
ment about the responsibility OF .
7their former government for The
war. Neither have the German
people been tolS that their army
was defeated. and that the terms
or the armlstice were the terms Of
the victor to the yanouisbad Ap5
when the terms of the pesc. are
broken TO all Germanv-high and
low alike-when it is known that
simple justice requires the loss of
Alsace and Lorraine and the Ger
man colonies and perhaps the coal
area or the Saar. and on top of
,hat a Dill for war damages on
Iaho and sea, the Germans win feel