The Washington herald., 1921-11-22

anu tell me tnlss Inc war Is won.
Peace is signed. Germany has re-
duced her army to a great extent
Most of her war material has been
destroyed. What is Ii that pre-
vents peace from now reigning in
Europe7 why is II that France
keeps such a considerable army.
abundantly provided with war ma
terialg
"Of course. in saying this, only
certain people have got something
at the back OF their minds. They
suggest that France also has some
hidden thought-some hidden design.
II has been said that France want
ed to install in Europe a sort Of
military supremacy. and that, after
all. she wanted to be SO simply to
take the place Germany occupied be-
fore the war. Gentlemen, perhaps
this Is the most painful. heartrend-
ing and cruel thing that a French
man can hear. And for them to say.
after the direful war from which
we have just emerged-unprovoke ed
war which We had to undergo-to
be again in the cruel necessity to
give to the world only the appear
snce that We have perfidious inten-
tons and military design-this. gen.
tlemen. constitutes | may say the
most disheartening thing for us. II
we had not the full confidence Of
those that know my country, those
that have seen it-they can testify
that not one word OF il Is true. II
there is country that has deliber-
ately turned her steps toward peace,
that wants peace with all her heart,
believes in It with her entire faith
ii there Is a country that does
this. gentlemen, 1t is France.
Sees Germans Digress.
Since the armistice we have had
many disaprotntments. France has
had to wait for certain realizations
which she has not been able to get,
She has seen Germany digress-hag-
gle ove- the signature which she
had given. Germany has refused to
stand by her pledged word. She has
refused TO pay compensation due for
the devastated regions. She has de-
clined to make the gesture Of chas-
tisement that. after all. every man
Of sense would expect after the hor-
rors that we have witnessed. Ger
many has refused to disarm. At
NAiAC AohNe was ana
Germany could not resist. Public
opinion in France was naturally i'm
patient. while under this proyoca-
ton France remained perfectly cool.
There was not one gesture on her
part to aggravate the situation. I
may say here emphaticalIy, in the
face of the world. we have no hatred
in our hearts. and France will do
everything she can. She will use
every means to prevent between Ger
many and herself a recurrence of
these bloody conflicts. She wishes
for nothing else but that the two
peoples should be able to live side
by side in the normal conditions of
peace. But. after all. we have no
right to forget. We have no right
to abandon ourselves. We have no
right to weaken our position. And
were it only because we must avoid
giving rise in the bosom that would
only be ready to take advantage of
1t, to give rise to certain hopes that
would be encouraged by our weak
1ess
Gentlemen. I spoke a few mo-
ments ago of the moral aspect of
disarmament. and I referred in my
remarks to Germany. I do not
want to be unjust: nothing is fur
ther from my mind. But we know
there Is in Germany-there is one
part of Germany that is for peace
There are many people. especially
among the working classes, who
want TO work, who have had
enough OF this war, who have had
enough of war altogether, and who
rn
In peace. and also to set to work.
We shall do everything to help
that Germany, and II she wants TO
restore her balance in the bosom
OF a pacific republic and demo-
cratic institutions, then we can
help her. and we shall all be able
to contemplate the future with
feelings Of security.
Taught No Lesson.
But gentlemen. there Is another
Germany Germany which has
not changed her mind and to which
the last war has taught no lesson.
That Germany keeps thoughts in
the back of her mind: she has the
same designs which she entertained
pefore the war; she has kept the
same preoccupations. and she
cherishes the same ambitions as
the Hohenzollerns did And how
can we close our eyes to this? How
can we ignore this state of things
This, gentlemen, is happening at
our very doors. we have onIv got
to look. This is happening but a
few miles from us. and we can fol-
low the thoughts of the Germans
or certain Germans. and the eyolu-
ton which Is taking place, And
more than that, we have witnessed
certain attempts to return TO the
state of things. Nobody could be
mistaken about the real bearing of
what was called the Kapp Putsch
We know very well that II II had
succeeded. Germany would have re-
turned to her prewar state, and
We do not know what might hav.
happened, or rather, we know roo
wei what would have been the
consequences OF such a state o.,
things
Gentlemen, volume has been
published by no less a man than
Field Marshal Ludendorfr, who s,jIl
enjoys great authority in MANY Ger
man circles, and who is followed nv
great part of the elite in Ger
many. professors. PHILOSOPHERS
writer's. etc. What do we read in
this book? Gentlemen, should
not like to make too many quota
tons. I should not like to prolonr
this speech. and perhaps draw too
much on your attention. but this Is
part Of my brief. and il you are,
IKE me, convinced that the moral
element is of the utmost importance.
you VIII allow me to read just two
or three passages. This is the first