The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1919-05-01
The Germans at Versailles.

On the 18th of January, 1871,
William ]. OF Prussia was crowned
German emperor III the great hall OF
the palace at Versailles, and ten days
later entered Paris in triumph at the
| head OF his armies. On the 10th of
May the treaty of Frankfort was
signed, the harshly dictated terms OF
conqueror. The war had lasted but
few months, but Germany demand
ed, as the price OF peace the province
OF Alsace, large part of the prov
ince of Lorraine, and $I,ooo, 100000 in
gold the German Army to occupy
ports of France until the whole was
paid. On Friday OF next week the
representatives of Germany will Ell
ter that same palace of Versailles,
and. doubtless in that same hall, will
be handed terms of peace dictated by
their enemies. They will come this
time not as conquerors but as the
plenipotentiaries of the conquered.
The empire they so proudly created
at Versailles is no more. The grand
son OF the emperor who was SO i'll
solently crowned there is an exile,
the most despised and the most
hated OF mankind In that splendid
hall. in the midst of their self-glorifi-
cation, they planted the seeds of their
own destruction. Upon its wall was
written Meme, Meme, Tekel, Up
harsin.' but they in their blindness
could not see it.
And now they are coming, on be-
half of their country, to,receive, and
to accept, the conditions of peace
that will seem hard to them, and, no
doubt, will be hard, but it will aid
them much. in the preservation OF
their equanimity if they will remem-
Der the treaty OF Frankfort and re-
member also the terms which the
kaiser was prepared to exact, if he had
won. terms which doubtless they
know. In the light of what his
grandfather demanded after brief
and joyous holiday trip to Paris, the
imagination finds it difficult to con-
ceive the magnitude of the ipdemni-
ties William III. would have exacted
had he been the conqueror i'll this
war He would have had the world
at his feet and he would have taken
it. deutschland uber allies!" Com
pared with his purposes, which he so
nearly achieved, the terms to be pre-
sented next week will seem mild.
The return to-: France of Alsace-
Lorraine is but the return of stolen
goods. 1t should not count in the
comparison. The disposition of the
Saar Valley is not yet definitely
known, but it seems to have been
awarded to France as a part OF its
for its prodigious
losses. particularly the deliberate de-
struction OF its coal mines, and for
the further protection of its from
tiers. The indemnities in money, it
the figures given out are authorita-
tive and complete, are by no means
as large as was expected, and, we
must assume. are within the power Of
Germany to pay in the period speci-
fled. Twenty-four billions of dollars
is vast sum. but, compared with the
Germany has compelled the
nations to spend in the last four
years, it is small. 1t probably no
more than covers the actual damage
wrought by Germany, and the sums
it has taken in money and in proper
ty from the lands it has overrun.
More likely it does not equal even
the actual losses of civilians from
Germany's rapine and destruction.
The emperor's exactions in 1871 were
net profit. All of Germany
every dollar of money and proper
ty in it-could not begin to compen-
safe the world for its losses. The
amount of the indemnity has not
been limited by the consideration of
just compensation, but by the ability
of Germany to pay. within any rea-
sonable period of time. just com
pensation would be far more if it
were possible to obtain it. What
ever the military terms may be they
are necessary to the protection of the
future.
The representatives of Germany
will protest, nc doubt, but if they are
wise they will sign, and be thankful
that the terms are no WOrSe,-St. |