The Washington herald., 1922-07-28
Sympathy for France.

10 tne k0ltOr tue "deuiuktoa 6tteAe'
/ wonder If you read the articles
by Frank H. Symonds published in
your paper. l do not see how you
can and then write an editorial like
the one in The sunday Herald and
others that you have written at in
tervals trying to create sympathy
for Germany at the expense OF
France.
In your Sunday editorial. July %.
there Is the statement: The Ger
mans have found themselves treated
as no defeated state ever has been
treated in a modern war. They have
been treated worse than they them
selves treated France in their hours
Of victory"
In their hours of victory" in 1871
they had no territory devastated and
noncombatants massacred by the
French. They had overrun France
and injuredit, yet they made France
pay for the cost of the war against
itself-the irony OF having to pay
the Germans for its own defeat and
by the Germans. and
Alsace and Lorraine torn from it.
France was treated much worse in
1871 than Germany today. Germany
is not asked to pay the cost OF the
war, but to pay for the systematic
destruction 1t carried out-not to
speak of the horrible astrocities the
German troops committed. II the
amount Of reparations is large. 1t Is
because there never was such de-
struction. To quote Symonds In the
4f LaralA.
1T is unfortunately necessary to
recall the fact that the whole repair
ations issue rises directly out of the
German attack upon her neighbors
prepared over long years. delivered
without regard to treaties and car
ried on in foreign territory with the
deliberate purpose of making recov-
ery after war impossible for the foe.
Preparations do not represent
punitive damages levied as Germany
levied damages upon France after
1871 to pay the costs of successful
aggression. The treaty OF Versailles
only exacts payment for two things.
damages to property and to per-
son."
Those are indisputable facts. And
in regard to the inability Of Ger
many to pay the reparations. Sy-
monds states:
For three years. ever since the
signing of the treaty of Versailles.
the Germans have been engaged in a
campaign to escape the conse-
quences of defeat and place upon
other people the burdens of the de-
vastations wrought by their armies
in foreign fields and cities e.
The Germans. when the reparations
total was fixed. determined not to
pay. They had devastated France
with the express and deliberate pur-
pose to erase her from the number
of going nations You had
then the deliberate German plan To
evade all reparations payments by
systematically initiating currency.
exporting capital and suBsidizing
national industries"
You speak of territory being taken
from Germany and territory occu-
pied. Germany occupied French
Territory after the war of 1870 until
the French had paid the indemnity.
To be sure. the French went to work
and paid it and soon got the in
vaders out of their territory-did
not yelp and whine like the Ger
mans. And the territory taken from
Germany was that formerly stolen
from other countrits-France. Po-
land, Denmark-now returned to
the ri0htful owners.
You speak OF the passion Of re-
venge that has put Off the peace of
Europe" There has not been any
revenge. only an effort to make
Germany deal jurtly and. repair the
damage II caused without provoca-
tion. France can have no assurance
1t can trust the Germans whether
under a republic or a monarchy.
There was an article in your paper
a few weeks ago quoting the recent
speech Of German before some
gathering in which he said:
I'VE were knocking at the gates
of Paris in 1915, in 1870 and in
1914 =. and the next time we
will take It for keeps"
The aggression and the revenge are
both on the same side-the German.
Why are American papers 30 unjust
to France? X. s.