The New York herald., 1921-06-19

n
ruin If her people had been little
generous, even little courteous. after
our defeat. But they have done theil
best, and are still doing 1t, to arouse
feelings of enmity.
Charges Against French.
'In their occupied districts they
have been needlessly arrogant. In
Duisburg, which they took to en-
force the signing of indemnities, they
behaved with gross impertinence tc
the Mayor. Those are but pin pricks
but in their policy and in their press
they have revealed hatred, desire t.
humiliate and a ruthless injustice
outrageous to our honor and dignity
which make it impossible for the
German people to be on friendly
terms with them.
"They are deliberately stirring uI
a desire for revenge instead OF seek
ing to allay the hatred Of war;"
He told me the French policy was
seeking to repair three mistakes tc
which Napoleon confessed. Napoleon
said:
my mistakes were to let Prussia
get strong. to let Poland be weak
and to misunderstood Russia
French diplomacy now, said Herr
Stresseman, was to weaken Prussia
strengthen Poland and dominate
Russia by setting up a Gar as pup
pet of France. But their policy, he
thinks, will fail because there is nc
tendency in Germany to break away
from Prussia despite all the foreign
hopes and intrigues, while Poland
will always be weak and ready tc
fall apart because of the inherent in
stability of the Polish character. As
for Russia, French puppets like Dene
kin and Wrangel failed miserably
and modern France more than Ma
poleon himself could not understand
the spirit of Russia"
FOresees a Big Change.
Herr Stressenan went at length into
the question of reparations. He held
the view that after a few years,
during which Germany will desper-
ately endeavor to fulfil her pledges
the European people will realize the
folly of maintaining such abnormal
conditions of world trade and will call
another conference to revise the whole
peace treaty and will develop a scheme
for an international economic union by
which the interests of all European
nations would be secured with a bet
ter arrangement than wild. destruc-
tive competition with tariff walls and
rivalries.
"The war debt of all the nations"
he said, could be wiped out in a few
years by small tax on raw materials
like cotton and coal, paid by all pur-
chasers and put in a common pool for
that purpose"
In his opinion Germany, with the
best will in the world, will be unable
to continue the payment Of indemni-
ties for half a century. This will be
recognized. he thinks, by the increas-
ing common sense of European
peoples.
That undoubtedly is the official view
of the German Volkspartei, but 1t Is
challenged by DR.. Walter Rathenau
Minister of Reconstruction and prob
ably the greatest German economist,
who said definitely in the Reichstag:
"we can pay" and by Philip
Scheidemann, leader of the Majority
Socialists. with whom had talk in
the company Of his friend and ad-
wiser. DR.. Helphand, millionaire So
cialist.
Leaders Far From similar.
Scheidemann. who helped to found
the republic after the war, in which
he was but a mild critic of German
and a staunch supporter OF
the imperial policy until the great
wreck happened, is q man of dis
tinguished appearance, not like Stresse-
man. who is a typical little Prussian
with a close cropped, bullet head and
a squat figure. Scheidemann is tall
and looks rather like French painter,
with silver hair and a little pointed
beard. So he seemed to me when I
met him in DR.. Helphand's villa out
side Berlin OH the edge of n beautiful
lake called Wannsee i'm the woods of
Grunewald. 1t Is not a bad spot for
two elegant Socialists far from the
crowd.
Herr Scheidenann's view of Ger
many's future, interpreted in voluble
French with a tremendous German
accent by DIR. Helphand, was opti-
mistic on the condition that their peo-
pie received peace and fair play from
France and England. He said that in
that condition, which is utterly es-
sential, Germany could fulfil the terms
of payment without much doubt.
"By the rehabilitation Of the army
he said. I'VE are saving 1900. 900. 900
gold marks annually. which would go
some way in paying Oft the yearly
tribute. We could save other sums
by reconstructing the imports of lux
uries and by more efficient organiza-
ton.
Could DO Much AZ Helped.
by intensive production and rapid
trade development countries like Rus
Ella could pay their bill OF costs Ian
full provided we are helped and not
hindered. II Upper Silesia were taken
every German I spoke to returned
to that subject as a keynote of all
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