The Washington herald., 1921-04-03

France for more than half . CEN
tury. the danger. which has been
expressed In two wAnton invasions
with devastations which defy de-
scription.
German Situation.
No one should mistake the Ger
man situation. Germany has es-
capped the war with little disturb
ance to her sources OF wealth. out
side Of the loss of her Lorraine iron
fields and her shipping. the latter
Of which she can and is making
good with little delay. Such ter
ritory as she has so far lost, has
not diminished materially her
great coal holdings. which are the
basis of her prosperity. Given time.
given foreign credits, particularly
credits which America can supply,
Germany can become within a de-
cade as potent factor In the world
markets as ever. indeed. II her great
military Expenses are abolished.
she viii be better OF than before
BY contrast with France and Italy
she has no devastated areas, her
loss in man power was far less pro-
portionately than that of either
Latin country Moreover. as con-
trasted with Great Britain, France
and Italy. she has no foreign debt
contracted during the war and no
mortgage upon her future. Such
debt as she has is domestic and can
be controlled by her own tax laws.
II she can evade payment of rep
aratfons, she will have won the war,
on the economic side. and having
won II on the economic side. will
presently be prepared to renew 1t
on the military and political side
with every prospect OF ultimate sue
cess.
Bedrock Policy.
Now this Is the bedrock of Ger
man policy. Victory or defeat turns
upon the subject Of reparations- 1t
Is not that heJ German is fighting
to reduce the sum Of reparations,
with any purpose to pay what is
possible. having eliminated the i'm
possible. No, for alongside with the
reparatioi1s campaign goes the bat
tie to establish the idea that Ger
many was not responsible for the
war, was the victim. not the aggres-
sor. and therefore to establish the
idea that the moral basis on which
the reparations claim <rests Is un-
sound.
Yet the fundamental fact as be
tween the French and the German
has not changed and cannot change
Either Germany must pay the
French claims and give evidence OF
having abandoned her aggressive
policies with respect to France, OF
French policy and French power
will combine to make German re-
covery economic first, military Sec
| ond, impossible. The problem has
no new aspect and no alternative
answer can be found. Moreover. the
situation does not stand still, on the
| contrary the more clearly German
policy indicated that Germany does
not mean to pay, the more potent
becomes the party in France which
demands that GERMANY shall bt
made poweriess. since she cannot bt
compelled to pay.
| know 1t is popular to assert tha
French pursuit of such a policy
| which means no more than the effor
to obtain security against a new
attack. since no repayment can b
had for the injuries of the past. !:
described in Anglo-Saxon countries
as suicidal, and France Is held t.
be insuring her own ruin at th'
moment she is bringing down th'
German edifice. But this is onl!
moderately true. France is f1scall!
ruined IL Germany does not pay. bu
fiscal ruin and national ruin ar,
quite different things, and Franc
is better adapted than any othe
European nation to endure the gen
4 eral collapse of the existing eco
| nomic system.
You can put the thing simply b,