Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-16
HUNS WILL REVISE |
METHODS IN TRADE.
Foreign Minister Declare,
Peace Must Be Economic
and Not Political,
ASKS COLONIAL PRODUCES

BASEL. Switzerland, February U.s.
! Count Won Brockdorff- Rantzau, tiess
man foreign secretary, discussing
/ Germany's foreign policy in the new
national assembly at Weimar yester.
| day. urged in strong terms that nc
war indemnity should be paid, and
1 that no territory should be ceded C
/ the vietors. He continued:
! III we rebuild what has been de.
stroyed by US in territories we occu,
pied we VIII do so by our free labor
We protest against the slavery nov
being imposed on German prisoners o:
war.
our adversaries owe their victor,
in large measure 20 a war, not mill
| tary but economic. 1t follows, there.
| fore. that the final peace must not
/ only be a political peace, but to
| large measure an economic peace. We
hope, therefore. that the decision OF
the Paris economic conference will bt
! abandoned Any differential treatment
even of a temporary nature. OF Ger.
! many 10 the domain of commerce and
| transport would not be acceptable Il
us"
To Revise Business Policy.
The foreign minister said that thu
Germans needed to revise their no
tions regarding German commercia
policy, which, he declared, had beef
associated with narrow and bureau
fcratic views in the foreign ministry
He said it was his intention TO intro.
duce experienced business men int
! the ministry. Freedom of trade. tn,
minister added, had freedom of thu
seas as its essential condition. and. az
far as Germany was concerned, THU
point in the program of President
Wilson was Of the highest Importance
! Moreover the foreign ministei
continued, Germany cannot enter
! league of nations without colonies
We approve the plan OF internationa
control over tropical colonies on tn.
conditions that all the colonial power
also submit to this proposal and thai
Germany receive her approximate
portion of colonial products.
! ION the other hand we must ex.
pect TO lose some valuable portions OF
our national territory. L refer to Al
| SAGE Lorraine. Violence now is be-
ling done to the rights of the present
population of Alsace Lorraine, wher
the French troops of occupation re.
gard the country as definitely con-
lquered, and are driving out or ar.
resting all those elements in whom
they see an obstacle to their i'm.
perialistic designs. They are alsf
3suppressing the rights of the people
TO use their own language by forcing
them to adopt the French tongue"
From the fact that the peace con-
| ference has come to no definite con-
clusion regarding the fate of Alsaee-
Lorraine, We draw the conclusion
| that we are competent to intervene
! in favor of it's rights, so that its
voice may be heard in the determine.
! ton of its destiny
German and French Enrnity.
Count Won Brockdorff Rantzau
condemned the alleged French plar
to join the Saar territorx = Alsace.
Lorraine and compared 70 the
old German Spansioni upoE
the Longwy and Briey He
cor sidered it undesirable II Ger
many ard France should continue to
regard them selves as hereditary enc.
mics. adding;
THE peace conference win have
the task of creating guarantees which
| Will have the effect of making such
state of things appear nonsensical
but let no one try to snatch from IN
| portions of our national territory
which we regard as of vital i'm.
portance
| In appealing for a united Germany
and the reunion of Germany and AUS
| trio the foreign Minister said:
IF we now find each other again
we SNAIL only De correcting the iHl.'-
takes made at the time the empire
was founded. The peace conferences
will assuredly not refuse its sanction
| to the rectifcation OF this mistake
of the past Henceforth we must pro-
! test against any violence being done
| to Germans and to Aus rians, who are
so to speak. our fellow countrymen.'
German Protests.
! wEIMAR, Friday, February IL
| (Havas).--At the meeting of the ma
| tional assembly today Herr Huitze
put forward a motion inviting the
assembly to adopt a resolution con-
tanning a declaration that the German
people would never accept a peace OF
violence and protesting against the
! Exaggerated" conditions of the ar
mistice as tending to ruin Germany.
The resolution also protests against
the denial of self-determination to
Alsace-Lorraine.