Evening star., 1921-11-06
BY YFRANCEsCo NITTI.
Former Premier Of Italy.

~ ERMANY has :. disarmed
completely. Austria. Hun
L gary, and Bulgaria only
possess those diminutive
armies which have been allowed
them by the treaties: as a matter
of fact, Austria, being reduced to
extreme poverty, has an army far
less numerous than that which
she would be entitled to maintain.
according to the treaty Of Saint
Germain-en-Laye.
y. The treaty OF Versailles imposed
coi3plete disarmament on Ger
many. Even the military commits
sions. presided over by Marshal
Foch, had recognized the necessity
for Germany. in order to maintain
order at home, to have an army Of
100000 men. serving one year with
tie colors; general staff with
FIVE army staff corps, fifteen divi-
sions, $50 pieces of heavy artillery
and 800 pieces of field artillery.
This is what the leading military
authorities Of the entente regarded
as An irreducible minimum for the
safeguard of law and order in
Germany.
X X x X
But the supreme council and the
prime ministers who. together
with President Wilson, drew up
the peace treaty. afterward known
by the name Of the treaty of Ver-
sailles. at Clemenceau's request
reduced Germany's army almost to
nonentity. Indeed, it may be re-
garded. in its present condition.
as a police force. deprived OF all
military character and value. 1t
has been cut down to only $4,000
men, with 1000 officers. The gen.
eral staff has been abolished. mill
tary schools are forbidden. nor is
there any kind of military training
allowed either in the universities
or in the schools. Heavy artillery
has been suppressed, as also tanks.
military aviation and gas gener-
ators.
Factories for the production Of
arms have been destroyed. Only
22s pieces Of field artillery have
been allowed. to be made in works
chosen by the allies and under
<hoir V,,rApvfc{nr rnrorrIcnr1,
service being suppressed, the SOL
diers are mercenaries, who enlist
for period of twelve years. and
are commanded by officers who
are not allowed to leave the army
before having attained the age of
forty-flye years. All trade in arms
is prohibited, military training is
forbidden, the left bank Of the
Rhine is under control, md. the
zone of fifty kilometers to the east
IL regarded as an absolutely non
military belt Besides those pro-
cautions. the interallied missions
have the widest powers Of investi-
cation. No German mobilization
can, therefore. take place to the
west, but must be restricted be-
, tween the Elbe and the weser.
=. + X +
. Tardieu has had to recognize
that tho allies have heaped up
against Germany "des garanties
telles que jamais rhistoire men a
enregistre de pareilles."
Under the pressure Of her in
ternal democratic movement and
Of her ex-snemies, Germany has
carried out the military clauses Of
tho treaty. with surprising prompt
She is now. completely unarmed,
and has to tolerate even the vio-
lence Of the Poles, who tread un.
dor foot. all treaties and obliga-
-tions both toward Germany and
other countries, both in respect to
Upper silesia and to wilma. n,
Can Germany represent . danger
of war for many years to come?
The statements recently made by
Hindenberg and Ludendorff are
evidently nothing but the truth.