Evening star., 1920-03-07
MUST HOLD GERMANY
TO LIMITS TREATY FIX
Granting Her Economic Privileges She
Enjoyed in 1914 Seen as Renewing
Old Menace, Not Saving Europe

| industrial life may be reconstructed
and the dangers incident to German
economic paralysis avoided is ho3ea
upon a. Willingness to forget the his
torical circumstances. both in the
German economic development itself
and in the recent attack upon the
outside world.
Germany IL "Pinched.~
Germany energies from the war still
nation of 60.000.0O0 on a territory
reduced from 2l2.0OO square miles to
little more than 10000. But the sig
nificant fact is that this population.
so per cent larger than the popula
which is not only incapable of pro-
viding food for this enormous aggre-
cation of human beings. but does not
contain the minerals out of which
can be manufactured products to ex-
change for food.
, In a word, the problem iS whether
the world shall intervene to return
| to Germany her lost mineral regions.
which were themselves stolen from
Germany's neighbors, thereby perpet-
uating the ancient wrong. or consent
Ito see Germany pass through long
period Of agony. for which the single
solution must be sought In the mi
grafton of millions Of Germans. To
restore Germany's lost mineral re.
gions is to do violence to French ana
Polish possibilities. to deny each the
expansion in population which wouIo
logically follow the development OF
their new mineral resources. More
over it is to furnish Germany Win
the resources to maintain poput1.
tion which has become by Its very
size a menace to all neighborins
states. q.
1t is not difficult to perceive that II
Germany be restored she Will Dc
come in due time the economic mas
| ter of middle Europe and tho true
director Of Russia. Germany OF oO,-
OOO, 900, with an industrial ana eco
nomic life commensurate with its
population and its own resources. the
resources found in territory TO wniSn
the German title is not deoataoie:
could not be a menace to the peace OF
Europe; it would not have the mum
bers or the resources 70 uhoeI
the old struggle for political controi.
France II Made Secure.
France. with 100000 secure in her
present frontiers. assured OF greAt
iron and steel expansion. fort,nea coy es
African colonies, whose man power
would enable her to face Germany on
even terms, would be relieVeo AZ
the anxieties which have been en-
dured since 1870.
AS for Great Britain, can there ns
any sound basis for the belief that y
Germany regains economic strength
she will not reacquire the old re1ltxa-
tion that her economic life IL. after
ali. at the mercy Of the British meet.
Today the Germans superncially con.
denim France and even the United
states, but under the surface every
German realizes that the real defeat
was that suffered at the hands OF the
one great commercial rival. Great
Britain.
Even IL one should concede-and the
concession is by no means warranted
that Germany would make better ues
of French iron or Polish coal than the
French or the Poles. It Is hardly q
logical argument for turning the iron
fields and the coal mines over to Ger
many. Nor is it an argument In favor
Of such spoliation to allege that with
out these Germany may die. Germany
will not Of course, die; but even q very
great shrinkage in population accom-
panied by internal suffering and un-
rest. would not be Justly prevented at
some one elses expense.
To destroy Germany is impossible.
but ii is for Germany to rebuild. and
| II the world is to have surcease from
the German menace the new German
structure will have to be in accord
ance with German circumstances. not
resting upon the insecure bases OF
stolen territories and intelligent ex-
ploitation OF what belongs Of right to
other nations.
Copyright, 1870. Mcclure Newspaper SSudicats.)