Evening star., 1921-05-15
Why France Refuses German Labor

Much criticism has been heaped on
| France because of her refusal to ac-
cept offers of German labor TO recon-
struct the devastated area. The Secolo
of Milan, Italy. however. comprehends
the French point of view in this mat
ter. IT says:
| During the war the German people
did not understand the enormity of
the devastations made in France by
! its general staff After the revolution
there was an nti-militarist move
| ment which was at the same time IA
! vorab to reparations. French opin-
| ion did not understand the importance
| of this movement and did not take
l'advantage Of the opportunity.
| " Shortly afterward everything
| changed. There was the Versailles
| treaty. unforeseen conditions. the re-
sumption of the conservative move
ment in Germany and especially the
delay in France in returning prison
"rs. The prisoners We're not returned
till 1920; they exaggerated. as prison
ers do. the incapactty and the bad
faith of the French; they relat ed that
| the populations of the devastated re-
gions We're themselves hostile to the
Incidence of the government: in fact,
they began to give substance to the
story which said that France was
uslIS lile beSPafS tflck, who SHOW
their wounds to incite the pity Of the
paSsers- by.
1T is unheard-of that Germany
should make use of such arguments and
that she should forget to what extent
she is bound at least until she has paid
the reparation indemnities. But the
large material which is given to this
German campaign by French currents
of opposition and the English critics
who are bringing the most money and
he. u fEl. ia. f1n.aI L.
calities must be taken into considera-
ton.
:: THE Germans, even those who mean
we'll cannot understand. after two
years. the French aversion to a direct
! cola boration of their labct-nd their in
dustries AT present the Germans pc
lieve more than ever that France is
aiming ut the destruction of Germany
by economic exhaustion much more
than at the real reconstruction of
France. II would he wrong. however
to say that-except in extreme and mil
itary circles-the Germans do not recog-
nize the duty of making Preparations.
What Simons said is really the feeling
of the socialist masses.
at might be added" says the writer
what the minister could not say, that
the people consider the Preparations Just
and necessary so far as the devasta-
tions are concerned. But there is
scarcely a German who believes that ne
is morally obliged to pay for military
pensions and merchandise sunk at sea.
They all think of their own dead and
especially of those victims of ~starva-
ton. and they do not consider that the
exclusive guilt of Germany has been
proved. To make up for it the organ
lied proletariat masses and the demo-
cratic parties demand that red tape
and looting Gnevtable after such dis
asters) should not increase the cost of
the enterprise. o..
For several months French labor and
the German syndicate league have been
trying to arrive at direct cola boration.
Whoever hopes for a lasting peace must
count on the good will and on the happy
issue of this cooperation. which would
be A guarantee OF reconciliation and Sc
curity. better than all the troops posted
in GermanX.'