Norwich bulletin., 1919-05-14
FACTS AND COMMENT

I a foregone conclusion that none of the colonies would be returned to that power that had used them for it's own l aggrandizement and as a vantage point for further aggression. The
 league of nations will assign them severally to the allied and associated
 nations to be developed and admins 1 benefit of the world at large This
 plan for the future of the German col
 onies is President Wilson's own pro- posal. It is quite in keeping with the profession and practice of the United
 States as shown in our treatment Of
 Cuba and the. Philippines. but entirely
 at variance with the celonizing pol,
 icies of such nations as England and
 France. It is a distinct triumph for the president that these nations have acceded to his proposal so heartily and
 have agreed to administer these col ionieS for others instead of incorporat-
 ing them among their own posses sions.
 Of her former European area, Ger.
 many is to lose about one fifth. AL
 Lorraine which France regains after forty-eight years. is somewhat
 larger than Connecticut and rather
 more thickly populated. One small
 slice of land goes to Belgium. Den
 mark may regain Schleswig if the peo-
 pie Of that region desire it, and the
 new republic of Poland gets the re-
 mainder of the detached area. Alto
 sether the European territory taken
 from Germany is nearly as large as New York state. The allied nations
 are acting in the interests of justice rather than for their own financial
 advantage in detaching these lands
 from Germany. Her ability to raise } the enormous indemnity that is to be collected will be lessened as her ter
 rItory and population are decreased. If the restoration of France and Belgium
 alone were sought, it would be better
 to leave Germany territorially intact But Poland no less than Alsace has been an unwilling member of the Ger } man empire and justice is not served ; nor is peace insured until the Poles | are freed from oppression and per mitted to work out their own destiny. l The loss of territory while a severe ; blow to their pride will be long for
 gotten by the time the Germans have met their financial obligations. Ac- cording to the terms of the treaty
 Germany must acknowledge full re- sponsibility for all the damage done 5 in Belgium and northern France and must pay for the restoration of these countries insofar as the allies con- , slider her financially able. The final . appraisal of the damage done will not be completed until 1921. but Germany | must agree to make preliminary pay r ments in acknowledgement and partial { discharge of her debt. The sum of five
 billion dollars must be paid over with , in two years, followed by ten billions within five years thereafter. this to be followed by a third payment of ten billions. The figures are so enormous
 that the mind only comDrehends them
 by comparison with known values
 Prussia exacted only one billion from e France in 1871. and at that time SC o great an indemnity was unprecedent z ed. The entire debt of the United = States after the Civil war was but l. four billion. The sum total of the five t Liberty loans is eighteen and a halt a billion. Germany must agree to pay l. twenty-five billion at the least anC a more if her enemies decide that she o can. These payments are to be SC 4 cured by gold bonds which must b' u paid before either interest or principa = of Germany's internal war debts art e met.
 l. The measures for the disarmament a of Germany are as drastic as the ii il nancial conditions. The nation th2 1t has put ten million men into the 1iel, l., is to be restricted to an army of 100,
 GOO. Enlistment must be fer terms 0
 twelve yearG in order that compara '- lively few of the population shall re le ceiye military training. To this ent ts the great military schools will be y thing of the past. The nation tha Ii, has been the most warlike in Europ T, must renounce this ideal forever. Tn u navy is to be restricted to six mod l. crate sized battleships and other yes pr sells in proportion. The defenseS o 'n Helgoland are to be destroyed by Ger at man labor and the Kiel canal is to D rs as free for all nations as is that 3 of Panama. AS a further guarantee tha
 France will never again be invaded. . thirty-mile strip east of the Rhin 'o from Switzerland to Holland is to S. without forts, forces and military rail
 ways. This strip includes the cite re of F'reiburg. Baden. Karlsruhe, Heidel r. berg. Frankfort and Essen. the hom an of the krupps. The troops of the al :, lies will keep the watch on the Rhin until the last of the indemnity is pai( is Germany knows only too well tha -s there is no hope of resistance an w slowly and sullenly she is bringin ss herself to face two generations ( n- more of unremitting toil
 a The same day that the peace treat nt was handed to the German delegate
 President Wilson issued call for tl
 new congress to meet in special ses
 son on the 18th of May. The cali cam
 by cable. an innovation in America IL politics. and the presidents mesSae ut too must be sent by cable for he hin
 self will not return to this country ti
 some time in June. So much bus ,g ness faces the new congress that u oo special session will in all probabilit ry t oit aiu'i i o,d ti' ,l +r,
 is likely to continue until the grei
 party nominating conventions in Jur no 1920.
 lis Ths ne.ce t-e,+v inc1udino +ba co, he stitution of the league of nations
 generally considered the greatest ma
 ter to come before the 66th congres n't yet this is only one of the importal he questions that are pressing. Fir d. the great national appropriation bil
 that provide the means for the contii
 uation of the government must
 taken up. They failed of passage oe March by reason of the f1libuster is the senate and the departments ha, en been at loss for funds. Especial
 difficult has been the situation of D
 rector General Hines in his ende; k vor to run the railroads, whose r for ceipts have been running behind u
 expenses by sixty-four million dolla month. Temporary relief will
 granted by the prompt passage of u
 bill to appropriate $750,000000 as 'th addition to the already exhausted 'r he yolving fund.-; the ultimate solution lot the transportation problem is u
 greatest domestic problem that fac
 the new congress.
 in- Whatever. solution may be found CIV is pretty certain that the count