The Washington times., 1919-12-14
JAPAN AND RUSSIA
TO CHALLENGE j. S.


win Come in 1920 for
Supremacy.
Continued from First Page.)
Three days after the declaration OF
Nf hAthenau went straight to the
herman war office. He told the then
u-powerful military chieftains
oluntly:
First-Embarking on the mad ad-
enture was the most tragic blunder
m all history;
Second-FinaI defeat of Gsramny
was almost as certain as commercial
Uupremacy had been up to the declara-
lion of war;
Third-If Germany was not to b,-
sunocated through lack of raw mate
nals, she must organize all her re-
sources available at once;
Fourth-Unavailable resources must
oe Offset by substitutes at any cost
because the war was going to be a
long war.
Tell me about America" was the
urst thing my host said after well
coming me. So it fell that for the
nrst hour 1 found myself being inter-
viewed.
But yesterday as we started a tour
Of the wonderful grounds, Rathenau
himseif began to talk-stopping me
abruptly in the middle OF an inconse-
quential sentence. putting both hands
on my shoulders and wheeling me
around to face him
You have heard too much about
poor Germany" he said. 1T has dis
torted your point or view. 1t is not
only Germany that is broken It is
all Europe.
The so-called crime of versailles,'
ne went on. lis not the harshness OF
the peace terms under which Germany
must stagger. but the Balkanization
of all Europe-the results of which
; must work to the undoing OF France
and Belgium and Italy no less than
to Germany.
Lack Of Aessaintance.
Tt 10 sadly to be regretted that
President Wilson and those of his
countrymen who are animated by
equally idealistic motives could not
have become acquainted with the
small peoples they have fought so
vaAantly for and for whom they have
won the right of self determination.
-One has only to look at America
to realize that Americans could have
easily grasped the real significance of
the true crime Of versailles-had any
one there thought to compare these
small Balkan nations with the African
descendants of whom 16, o00, 900 in
habit the States.
Germany has been Europe's arch
Keynote. and now IT Is destroyed The
destruction Is not like the German de-
struction OF northern France and of
Belgium. for reparation is possible in
rv
but will be done
I'm the case of Europe, and espe-
eially the European keystone, the de-
gtruction 10 complete. There is the
crime of Versailles. For, once having
been done. II can never be undone-
BY all the notifications in the world.
-One cannot give a people self-de-
termination and liberty and nation
ality only TO take ii away from them
The Balkanixation of Europe is an
accomplished fact. Great powers,
strong within themselves and adapted
by centuries of experience, to deal
with those turbulent groups of indi-
~iduals united for self-government,
have suddenly been robbed of their
strength.
Inesapetest to Exercise.
Races OF humans whose moral and
mental status Is primitive ara sud-
denl ythrust into positions of power
they are Incompetent to exercise
The economic condition Of Ger
many is no worse (if as bad as) than
that of England, France. or Italy. Po-
tentially. Germany is in better shape
than any of them-for German labor
will work
France is broken along with the
rest of Europe-bot France doesn't
know it, England is broken and
does know there" And with the
last word Rathenau indicated his
forehead.
and knows IL here" pointing to
hts forehead, ~and here pointing to
his stomach And In her knowledge
lies Germany's strength.
But at best IL Is only relative. this
matter of strength-all Europe is as
nothing when compared with Amer
lea and Japan At the moment.
what Is of greater importance Is
that there In no possibility OF the
recuperation Of Europe We are too
old, all of US We must give place
to youth And the worlds three
youths now are America. Russia and
japan.
Oussda To Recover.
ma of today Is In q state of ehaos9
wise men ignore today In contempla-
tion of history's tomorrow.
THE Russia Of 2100 is not going
30 be in q state of chaos II is
going to be one OF the worlds three
great powers. BY that time the
present Europe will not exist at all,
except In the sense that q Holland
or Montenegro exists-by and with
the consent OF the dominant nations
England also will have gone to her
gravs-a respectable death at a ripe
Old age. And then
The inevitable conflict must come!
The outcome OF that conflict can
- determined by the way events are
shaped in the next few years
4 1T depends absolutely and wholly
Dn Americas attitude in this period,
ls1ols3o. whether she, with Russia,
AA hA rrtff