Evening star., 1922-11-19
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.
. ERMANY's hour of decision
droua closer

BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.
- ERMANY's hour of decision
draws closer.
Her future, internal and ex-
ternal. depends upon events
within the course of the next ninety
day period.
Chancellor Wirth, who clung close
to certain definite policies declared
inimical to Germany's national in
terests. but more in accoradnce with
the wishes of allied governments. ever
ready to enforce edicts occasioned by
the war. has stepped down. William
Cuno. the great shipping man. a
sympathizer with the industrialists
represented by Hugo SHINES, but not
in the strictest sense a party man,
has consented to form a new cabinet
designed to drag Germany from the
depths. readpust internal and ex-
ternal problems. and place the ma
tion once more on the world stage
as going concern.
Cuno faces internal abuse. He
stands a target for allied. demands
Upon reconciliation of allied demands
with internal necessity will depend
not only his tenure of office, but
whether Germany is to weather the
present strenuous tides or be sub
merged irretrievably. Though aided
in some respects because of the fact
that he is not a party man, never
theless he is under suspicion of being
representative of the so-called preda-
tory interests of Germany. and though
the socialists may have consented to
his tenure and promised some as
sistance in the reichstag, neverthe-
less it may be expected that before
situation and met all the demands
certain to be heaped upon him by
fthe allies. he will be assailed from
the more liberal elements. Unless
he controls the situation with rod
of iron there is little Likelihood of
him bringing about desired ends.
Face Serious Situation.
Whatever the immediate political
alignment in Germany, there can be
no question but that a serious situa-
tion confronts the government and
the people. Winter has arrived and
before spring comes again there may
be far-reaching events. civil war
being not in the least unlikely.
The German people today are
weary, almost unto death. of the
chaos that has prevailed since the
plotted. while at the same time they
find Il constantly widening margin
between their income and outgo for
The barest necessities of life. Every
where the germ of discomfort is wax
Ing fat upon poverty and privation.
Nnd if Cuno Is unable to bring about
! change in the general scheme of
things there is no question but that
his political future is doomed.
Unquestionably the reparations
question is the fundamental trouble.
There has been no exact settlement
in the Versailles treaty that the Ger
man people shall do so and so. and
Germans from time. to time have
been forced to bend under the re-
peated threats of enforced sanctions.
but these threats have done nothing
but aggravate the general German
economic collapse and promote
state of political unrest which yet
may prove j boomerang and destroy
allied hopes of obtaining desired war
indemnities.
The Germans repeatedly have de-
clared they have been unable to meet
allied demands. The French, par
ticularly. with eyes on the Ruhr
and the Rhineland. have remained
adamant and in the pickering and
the allies and Germans. on the one
hand. and between the allies them
selves, on the other. the general sit
uation has grown from bad to worse.
Settlement Is Necessary.
Unless there is some definite set
tlement. as the Germans have de-
manded. there is little chance of
stabilizing the mark, and unless Ger
man currency is made worth more
than ordinary wrapping paper Ger
many will not advance. This view
point is pretty we'll accepted in al
lied circles. however. and the recent
deliberations of the reparations COM
mission in Germany and in Paris
have hut furthered the belief that be-
fore sG;ermany can pay she not only
should be enabled to bring the mark
to some degree of value. but should
receive an outside loan in the gen
nral scheme of financial rehabili-
tatioR.
But, it would appear that many
moons ~ Ill come and go before there
;is any definite agreement between the
allies themselves, and then with Ger
many, in regard to definitely fixing
the sum total of reparations or
etabilizing the mark. Germany has
proposed a loan of one billion gold
marks, half from the reichsbank and
half from outside sources. in an at
tempt to catch up with reparatlonS
payments and balance the internal
budget in the hope of bringing the
mark to some point near normalcy.
There is grave doubt that this can be
done, except upon terms drafted by
France. with eye single to French.
and not German. interests. This is
more or less as it should be, from the
standpoint of avenging Germany's
wartime injustices toward France.
but the French viewpoint appears far
from practical at this moment, when
it appears that German collapse yet
may deny France anything except
that which France may seize in the
Rhineland and the Ruhr on the pre-
text of warranted reparations sane
tions. In fact. it is declared in GER
tain diplomatic circles that Poincare
and the French are not in the least