Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-16
GE ERMAN FOREIGN
MINISTER IS FIRM
AGAINST PAY INC
ANY IN De MN|T
Also Makes Vigorous Protest
Against DemobiIization of
Old German Army Which
Could Be Used in East,
DEMANDS RETURN OF
GERMAN COLONIES
Says Germany On Other Hand
Expects to Lose AISaCe and
Lorraine and Protests at AC-
tons of French.
IsS noHN'"s JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WIRE

tBr hoHhlNS JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiREl
Pasle Switzerland, Feb. 15.--Count
| Won Brockdorff- Rantzau, German
foreign secretary, discussing Ger
many's foreign policy in the national
assembly yesterday declared he had
resisted and would continue to resist
allied attempts to make Germany de-
mobilize ali her military forces.
The task of the German nation
might be summed up, he said, under
two heads, first, ending of the state
of war; second, establishment of nor
NAL relations with other peoples.
unfortunately" he continued,
Germany voluntary disarmament
has not softened our enemies. who
recently attempted to settle. on the
basis of disarmament, questions un-
douhtedly appertaining to the peace
conference. | have repulsed and viii
continue to repulse these attempts
looking to the dissolution of all our
old military forces and the subst-
tuition of new republican troops for
our old peace army, which could be
used in the east"
Opposes Indemnity.
The foreign minister urged that no
war indemnity should be paid and
that no territory should be ceded to
Inc NltlOGS. lie COUllnueus
IF we rebuild what has been des-
troyed by us in territories we occu-
pied we will do so by our free labor.
We protest against the slavery now
being imposed on German prisoners
of war.
"Our adversaries owe their victory
in large measure to war not mill
tary but economic, 1t follows, there
fore, that the final peace must not
only be a political peace, but in
large measure an economic peace. We
hope therefore, that the decisions of
the Paris economical conference will
be abandoned. Any differential treat
ment even of temporary nature of
Germany in the domain of commerce
and transport would not be accept
able to us"
Freedom of trade, the minister add
ed, had freedom of the seas as its es-
sential condition and as far as Ger
many was concerned this point in the
program of President Wilson was of
the highest Importance.
Moreover" the foreign minister
continued, Germany cannot enter a
league of nations without colonies.
We approve, the plan of information
al control over tropical colonies on
the condition that all the colonial
powers also submit to this proposal
and that Germany receive her ap-
proXimate portion of colonial pro-
ducts.
Says French Impcriaiistic.
con the other hand, we must eX-
pect to lose some valuable portions
of our national territoSy. | refer to
Alsace-L Lorraine. Violence now is be-
ing done to the rights OF the present
population of Alsace-Lorraine where
the French troops of occupation re-
gard the country as definitely con-
quered and are driving out or arrest
ing all those elements in whom they
see an obstacle to their imperialistic
designs. They are also suppressing
the rights of the people to use their
own language by forcing them to
adopt the French tongue.
Count Won Brockdorff- -Rantzau
condemned the alleged French plan
to Join the Saar territory to Alsace
Lorraine and compared it ito the old
German expansionist aims upon the
Longfy and Briey basins He consid-
cred it undesirable that Germany and
France should continue to regard
themselves as hereditary enemies, |
adding:
"The peace conference will have |
the task of creating guarantees which |
will have the effect of making such a /,
state of things appear nonsensical, |
but let no one try to snatch from us
portions of our national territory |
which 1--WE regard as of vital import
ance."
In appealing for united Germany
and the reunion of Germany and |
Austria the foreign minister said
"If we now find each other again |
we shall only be correcting the mis- |
takes made at the time the empire |
was founded. The peace conference |
will assuredly not refuse its sanction |
to the rectification of this mistake of |
the past. Henceforth we must pro-
test against any violence being done |
to Germans and to Austrians who |
are, so to speak, our fellow country
men,"