The Washington herald., 1921-01-02
PREPARATION FOR
WRONGS OF WAR
NO SIMPLE TASK
Ferrero, Historian, Sees
French Desire as
Ot Natural One.
By GUGLIELMo FERRERo.

the tntentiOn OF not only conquerlnS
their enemies on the field of bat
tie. but also of running them. The
|cruel-isod Of war, whomsthey have
adored ever since 1870, imposed
|upona them also the destruction OF
their snemy's property. 1t is not to
be wandered at, therefore, that as
soon Is the war was ended the ma
tions that had suffered most from
this ruthless pnlage, and especially
France, should demand reparation
and reprisals.
Butt unfortunately, justice is but
too often impotent to strike the in
dfvidual; it may be imagined how
much more difficult becomes the
task when IL is a question OF peo-
/ pie. The various governments,
while naturally endeaYoring to sat-
| |isfy as far as possible this justirla-
BILE Eesentment Of the people, Uugnt
/ to have tried at the same time to
restrain II somewhat, reminding the
Peoples that it is unfortunately al
ways much easier for mankind to
bestroy than to create, or to do
eNl than to repair II.
ReSentnsent Excited.
What the governments have done,
Instead, is to excite this resent
me16- At the end of 1918 Lloyd
George dared, at the elections, to
promise England the Kaiser's head
and complete compensation for the
Expenditure of war.
He did. not hesitate to affirm thar
II - \ IL 10
biIlions-neither more nor less. But
when one of the, great ones of the
earth goes mad and begins to re-
tonnt fables, in which mankind IN
keneFal would be glad to believe,
but in which it would never dare
bn its own account to place Gre
hence, what is there eft for com
mon fsense still to do? The world
kt large lost its head. and the re-
suits were seen at Paris.
Those who were at Paris during
he Peace Congress know how
3 ighdy the congress proceeded In
regard to this question. 1t was
eVer seriously discussed how far
teparation might be demanded on
easonabIe grounds and with some
tope fof success, nor by what means
or with what guarantees it was to
be secured; nor was it discussed
low the reparstion was TO be pro-
ortioned to the damage suffered
" each ally.
Discussion Hasty.
Enormous. medium and small
ums, were discussed hastily and not
Fithout passion anu at the end. aft
II lengthy negotiations, it was set
khaN GarnDarvv h. 4
Tor a first payment on account Of
% billions, and that the task of
king the total sum within the Pc
Fiod ending May /, 1891, should be
ntrusted to a PREPARATION commits
lon =
As to the payment, some saint
hi ght come forward and help in the
natter. The means and methods of
he payment were studied with so
huch haste that the compilers of
he treaty did not even realize that
hey swere condemning Germany to
emain the eternal debtor of her
onquerOrs.
1t was. in fact. arranged that Ger
any should pay an annual inter
st OF per cent on her total debt
nd the French CnOt the Germans)
ave. calculated that with thar
mount Of interest added to the
apital every yeaar Germany, al
hough she may pay between three
hd i've billions in gold every year,
Fin fnd herself thirty years hence
wing-Practically the original sum
her enemies.
And so, just as if this world we're
OF already an inferno Of dissen-
on. new and terrible European |
uestion has been created.
It is useless to nlude oneself; this !
eparation, in the way that it has |
pen worked out, threatens to ruin |
hat Httle escaped from the war, |
hther than to repair the damage |
pne by it. 1t Is nothing but a wild |
feam to imagine that Germany |
i'll be able TO pay even 125 billions
the space of a generation
French Writers TheOrize.
French writers have been making |
very effort for some time past to |
emonstrate that Germany can pay. !
ut ingenious though their argu- |
ents are, they all suffer from the |
lme defect; they presuppose that |
ermaRy will and eau and mus,
ork, to compensate the victims of |
er violence and pay her enemies. |
ith the same fervor that she used. |
fore the war, to work for herself |
hd the increase of her wealth and |
II pleasures.
Certainly Germany could pay IL !
e were willing to give this sub
ne example of Christian penitence
the world. But who Is there |
at imagines her to be ambitious
this palm of glory?
For a century mast Wavfar1 og-fN,
tion has not known repose. But
hat was the stimulus with which
e Innate laziness Of man has been
Gifted to this unsleeping, untirfng
ID universal alacrity? The prom
and lure Of greater comforts and
Feater pleasures.
Comforts on Increase.
For century past the comfort
I'D luxury Of the multitude has
len Increasing, in Europe and
nerfca, generation by generation.
bis universal display and prodigaI-
have, Indeed, astounded and dis
rsed many minds as a new and
ngerous phenomenon; but what
e they both but the prize and
mulus of the increased alacrfty
the masses2
Man does not work except in the |
pc Of a prize. The multitude
prks much more in the western |
vi1Ization than in the east. because
Is accustomed to enjoy the many
od things of life which the ORR
tai does not desire.
How is Ii possible to hope, then,
at the Germans will work even
pre-. than in the past,
one, g. two generations, and at
same time be satisfied to live as
oriy as the Mussulman lives?
ID tfsthey don't make this sacri-
k.a..- Mn Ahs-. h. :.