Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-06-06
ELECTION IN GERMANY :.
IMPORTANT TOEUROPE
Should Reactionaries Gain Upper Hand
Country Will Become Menace to All =,
Her Neighbors, Says Mr.. Simonds.

1aliy controlled Germany through the
majority socialist -centrist govern
nlent. was the rapid propagation of
the idea that the war had been lost.
not through the defeat of the army
not through the failure of Luden-
Of the collapse OF the civilians behind
the still unbroken military front.
Preposterous as this assertion must
seem to the allied world, which
knows the extent OF Fochs victories
IN the late summer and autumn OF
1918. Ludendorff and his associates
skillfully built up the notion that the
army had been betrayed by the demo-
cratic elements in Germany. who were
thus responsible for the terrible
plight in which Germany now found
herself.
Tool OF Real Enemy.
Accordingly the radicals. the genu-
inc democrats. the honest foes Of the
old Prussian order. which mad
brought about the war. waged the
war in such fashion as to bring down
upon Germany the ruin of the peace
, terms. looked upon the majority So
c:aiists. upon the Ebert government.
not merely as a sham but as the tool
of the real enemy. the Potsdam ele-
ment. the tool which had consented
| TO shed the blood OF real radicals and
had permitted murder and worse
eminent became the target of the
elements and leaders in Germany
who favored a real democratic move
ment in the nation and of the groups
and politicians who sought to restore
! the old order. The radicals held
| Ebert and his associates responsible
for the murder of their former com
| rades and the betrayal of the social
| ist movement; the reacuonarfes open-
/ " accused it Of having procured Ger
1 l>en hafr AA
first by accepting the armistice. and
second by signing the treaty OF YER
| saillee.
| Looking backward, then. over the
events Of the past year and half, IL
will be seen that SO far from moving
| toward a solution Of domestic dim
| culties. political as well as economic
| Germany has passed from crisis TO
crisis. and after each crisis the actual
government has been unmfstakably
! weaker. 1t has failed 70 raHy 10 i.s
support the moderates; il has steadily
lost strength to the reactionaries on
the one hand and to the extreme
| radicals on the other.
| Now we have come to the eve or an
election. and the single quesuors
seems to be whether the detection OF
| RAJ ideals from the majority .soclalist
+. party will be Suficiently great TO oe-
prive the present government, IN
coalition of majority socialists anu
centrists, OF a majority IN the Me
national assembly. Conceding I'M.
the centrists probably will lose some
small portion of their strength. there
seems to be no doubt that they VIII,
| on the whole. suffer only reII,IseS-
insignificant diminution. Ae,uanS I'M
decision seems to rest wholly on .ne
:ssue of the fight between the Two
wings of the socialist party.
Finally we have the Hythe PROPOSE
which doubles the sum held by Amert-
/ can REPRESENTATIVES to be the maAlnsni
1 ~ he gotten from Germany and unoer
~ ur,he scheme it becomes clear that
! the share O. the British empire VIII no
Wore than discharge the claims OF the
two largest dominions, CANADA ana AUS
! tralia. without making any provision hor
! the actual destruction OF BRUSH prop-
erty and shipping. belonging to the INT. !,
ed Kingdom. which Keynes estimates ~
$2.S50. 100000
| Canadian and Austraiiaa View. >
| But what will be the feeling OF Canade5
| if her claims are scaled Gown. ss 49,
be inevitable under the Hythe pfoposA:
| to a sum certainly not more than half Of
the donna nd and probably to less than
nu.rtero Indeed. IL the sum allotted 70
the British is first applied toothe repay
ment for actual distinctions by the Ger
man, then there will be left onsy APPROX
| matEiy billion to be divided amones
an Inc colonies And what will be the
view o. Australia?
hitherto ii has been customary to-
! charge the French with the cmer re-
sponsibility for the undue EXPANSION OF
reparations claims. But II CANADA ana a. rs
! warranted in asking nearly S2.00o.0co--
| ooo then the French can justly claim
| a sum at least as great as the totaS oe-
manded of Germany by the Hythe pro.
! posal and Belgium reparation at least
! equal to that represented by the wnoie
| sum allotted to the British empire
All of which leads directly to absurdi-
ty. for it means a total reparation DE-
mand Of upwards Of s1eo.ooo.ooo.ooo.
stretched over at least century: But
recognizing this fact it will still be ap-
| preciated that the fling Of the Canadian
| claim adds one new and grave EN-
barrassment to all which affiict the Brit
| ish statesmen. who are seeking to reduce
! the sum total Of German payments In
| the interests OF world stability. 1t may :
/ even involve them in disputes with their
I colonies in which they win occupy the
| situation they now hold with respect OF
| the French :
| Copyright 1890 Mcclure Newspaper syndicateI