The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-06
PEACE TREATY ARGUMENTS.


Germany is reported to be carrying
her bluff of refusing to sign the peace
treaty, unless it be modified, to the
extent of making preparations for
armed resistance. In proceeding far
Their in this direction of course she will
fare worse.
In his communication addressed to
the allies, Herr Brockdorff- Rantzau
objects to the surrender by Germany
of her merchant tonnage and ships;
to renouncing her colonies and over
seas possessions; to the loss of approx
imately one-third of the production of
German coal mines by yielding the
Sarre basin, stating that the loss of
these would lead to an economic de-
preston which would bring about
catastrophe among the Germans
themselves.
Peace, he states. would impose on
Germany "numberless human sacri-
fees that this war of four and one
half years did not demand of her
pride" And, he adds, those who will
sign this treaty will sign the death
sentence" of many millions of German
men, women and children.
To this protest the allied and asso-
ciated council reply that Germany was
mainly responsible for the damage and
destruction wrought, and she cannot
escape that responsibility. 1t is not
the peace terms, the allied note says
but the acts of those who made and
continued the war, which are the
cause of any sufferings Germany may
have to bear. The allied answer sim
ply points out to the head of the Ger
man peace delegation that Germany's
position, so far as loss of merchant
tonnage is concerned, is not we'll taken
1t points out that the loss to world
shipping thru the German piratical
submarine warfare was nearly 13,000,-
900 tons. The allies propose to make
Germany repay only 100000 tons.
Responsibility for this shortage in
shipping is. of course, placed directly
on Germany, which sank the tonnage
and in that view the Germans share
in replacing 1t is called very moder-
ate"
With reference to the German. plea
that Germany will be called upon to
feed 100000 persons, 1t is cited that
the peace treaty takes 5000, 900 out of
German control. AS for German agri-
culture, it is in better shape certainly
than the agriculture of Poland, of Bel
GUM and of northern France, which
was totally destroyed by the Germans
during the war. That Germany will
lose certain commodities may be true,
but Germany can import those COM
moditfes. Concerning the loss of
what Rantzau says has taken place
with regard to coal, the allied reply
points to the fact that the German
military necessity. completely de-
stroyed the coal fields of France, and
that having done so, reparation calls
for the turning over to France for her
own commercial and Industrial needs,
the coal fields of the Sarre BASIN But
even then. the allied reply points out.
this still leaves Germany sufficient
coal for all her needs.
The Germans complain that the
German population will suffer under
the treaty which Brockdorff- Rantzau
describes as a death sentence" The
reply of the allies is that all countries
are suffering as result. of the war
and there is no reason why Germany,
which was responsible for the war and
which brought this suffering to the
entire world, should not suffer.
The associated powers have been in
reality much more lenient with Ger
many than Germany deserves