The Washington herald., 1922-05-06
'Doughboys" in Germany.

|THAT Germany should request continued main
tenance of American soldiers in the Rhine
land seems paradoxical.
They came over the Moselle as enemy troops.
They were quartered on the people as army of
Occupation. Such. for all practical purposes they
have remained. Yet hear that Berlin has joined
with the principal allies in plea that they may be
retained.
True, the American army has made favorable
impression the populace. Soldiers have been
good customers with plenty of ready money. Rhine
land burghers prohted from the experience of their
French enemies and have avoided angering the
'Yanks" by prices too obviously excessive. The
men in olive drab have absorbed with astonishing
ease the manner of living of the countryside in
(which they billeted. But Berlin certainly does
mot desire to retain Americans, at heavy cost to
herself, a luxury for the Rhnelanders.
There are, however, good reasons why Chan
|celkor Wirth would not be pleased to watch the
hast contingent OF men from the New World board
troop trains for an embarkation port Americans
have furnished element OF security in this terri
|tory the value of which Berlin authorities recog-
|nize Gen. Allen has frowned consistently agi-
|tation for independence among people in his
THE natives of the richest territory in all Germany
|are none too well satisfied with the German Re-
public They feel heavily the burden of taxes. They
|are ready to receive with open propagandists
|who tell them that by setting up Independent
state they avoid most of the penalties which
the great war brought upon the Fatherland They
have nationalist aspirations.
There is persistent French effort to encour-
|zgc the people on theeft bank OF the Rhine. This,
|of course never has been sanctioned by the French
government. But military leaders in the occupied
|territory have shown illuminating leniency
howard agitators for the independent state. The
A L. .L,t tho parI,
cars for the fate of her richest province if is left
entirely in the hands OF her bitterest enemies.
while United States troops are there they
IA safeguard.
Germany has found that Gen. Allen and his
|offcers can be trusted They are Americans whose
word is their bond. They know nothing of secret
and tricky diplomacy. French officers, the other
hand cannot be trusted the government fears If
left with complete sway from Mayence to Cologne,
Germany suspects, with reason the French would
find some way of detaching the whole territory from
1.-THE Prussian state. For example, a revolution
might break out with which the occupying army
|gould find itself utterly unable to cope The revo-
|lutionists would sweep everything before them
while the French made ridiculous show of re-
s,stanee. Then one more petty nation would take
Its place in the cockpit of Europe with tendency
Ito ally itself with France. The German border
would be pushed back to the Rhine apparently by
the German people themselves.
The presence OF Americans is a security not
only against French intrigue, in the opinion of Ber-
Him. but against French brutality in trickery
fails. The presence OF horizon blue hordes across
THE Rhine is dscomforting at the best Germans
TRUST French whit more than French trust
|Germars They have come to look upon Americans
who have built up world reputation for square
dealing. as their allies in the Rhineand ter
|ritory.
Perhaps also they desire the presence of
american troops because these afford a medium
Through which they keep in touch with the
|sympathies OF America itself Soldiers from Ger
many may be the victims OF propaganda when they
return to the United States On the other hand,
|they may have learned the lesson that human ma
|ture is very much the same under any flag 1t is
fact, in either case that they the best advocates
|the former enemy country has in America. Feel
|ings toward Germany started to change slightly
when the first troopships bringing from the
|army OF occupation docked at home ports and they
have continued to change since. All this is
valuable to Berlin whether it is the result of propa
|ganda not