New-York tribune., 1920-05-16
Teutons Show They Are Not ODl,
Unrepentant, but Do Not
Admit Defeat

Marshal Foch knew it, Yet
Erzberger wrote and wrote and
wrote.
There has just come into my
hands an enormously interesting
! German analysis of the causes of
the World War. 1t includes care
full discussion of the circumstances
Of the Russian mobiliza ton, based
upon documents made public by the
Bolshevists. These documents, it
will be recalled, proved that Russian
generals secretly disregarded the
Cars order to recall the general
mobilization order at the critical
moment before the war broke. The
result was the German declaration
Of war.
But alongside of this useful and
pertinent document is placed a
whole carload of obvious and pal
pable fakes, as absurd as the stories
of poisoned wells in Metz, of bomb
ing raids over Nuremberg, of
French violations of Belgian neu-
trality, of Belgian violations of her
own neutrality, all the stale old lies
of the propaganda period warmed
up again and put side by side with
document which would interest
any jury and demand the cxamina-
tion of any fair-minded man eager
to discover any justification for the
German course in the evil days Just
preceding the outbreak Of the war.
Now these instances which | have
cited are each of them indicative of
the same sort of incomprehensibil
which we all marked in the German
during the war and even more dur
ing the armistice period. In sum
total, they represent the reason why
we still have no peace and no restor-
alton of real relations with the Ger
man.
Present German Acts
At the moment when the Kaiser's
ministers were appealing to Presi-
dent Wilson for an armistice based
upon the fourteen points, freely ac
cepted by the Germans in writing.
German submarines sank two hos
pital ships. To-day, when the larger
part Of the world is quite reconciled
to seeing Germany materially aided
on the road to reconstruction the
German is mainly engaged in insist
ing upon maintaining his army, as
sailing the French for alleged atroc-
tiles of the Senegalese troops and
resisting a fair plebiscite in Upper
Silesia.
That is why it seems to me that
the promise of hopeful results flow
ing from the Spa conference is rela
lively slight. The German is not
yet ready to negotiate with his re-
cent enemies on any possible basis.
In the single matter of the Rhine
barrier there are enough Frenchmen
opposed to any annexation Of Ger
man territory to make all danger of
the creation Of another Alsace-Lor
ralne preposterously remote, pro-
vided only the Germans would not
insist upon Strengthening the only
possible foundation for the demand
for such annexation, namely, the
military peril of the future.
At San Reno, Millerand con-
vinced Lloyd George, who knew it
beforehand, that France did not
send troops to Frankfort to fur
ther any annexation idea. But Lloyd
George was not able, because of the
German course in recent months,
to convince Millerand that Ger
many did not contemplate some mill :,
tarlstic renaissance in the near fu-
ture, that is, in a future as near as
possible. One hears a great deal
about the Saar Basin and the wick
edness of the provision in the
Treaty of Versailles allowing a
plebiscite in that district to deter
mine the final allegiance of its in
habitants fifteen years hence. But
most Frenchmen of my acquaint-
ance would be relieved if the plebis-
cite resulted in the return of the
territory to Germany, because they
have no desire to open new ac ,
count with Germany.
Work on French Fears
Such Frenchmen, all moderate
Frenchmen, in fact, are powerless, {
however, in the presence of the Ger ,
man manner. If Germany means to
resume her old course, then French ,
b. 4-I