Evening star., 1923-05-27
HINT
SOLACE TO berlin
Reproaches in Allied Notes
UnansWered-Germany
Moving Carefully.
by MAXIMILIAN HARDEN,
Germany's Foremost Publicist.

BY Cable to The Star.
BERLIN, May 26.-The reproaches
in the allies notes to Germany remain
unanswered. The government be-
lieves 1T is its duty to look forward
instead of backward. Hence 1t sees
the most important positive sentence
of the Franco Belgian note In the
declaration that the invasion of the
Ruhr had the sole purpose of securing
Immediate collaboration" of the
French and Belgian engineers with
the German industrial engineers and
laborers.
The German government had taken
the position that no paragraph OF the
Versailles treaty gave the conquerors
the right to extend their occupation.
Now it must face the fact that Eng
land and Italy indorse the contrary
view. A government responsible Tor
the fate of 60,000,000 people must
meet facts as il sees them. 1t now
must act on the basis of it's declara-
tion of Willingness to try three
fold working basis in the Ruhr on
condition that France and Belgium
restore the status of January l last
and proclaim amnesty for all but muir
der and non n-political crimes.
Il
If the powers desire nothing fur
ther than this, they can secure 1t
without the damage which our capitu-
lation. even if we were forced to
capitulate, would bring in the way
of embitterment of the people. but
why should working alliance, which
now appears to all participants to be
possible, be confined to the Ruhr?
The lure of economic prosperity rest
ing on the union of Lorraine iron
and Ruhr coke, hampered nowhere by
prohibitive tariffs, should insure that
such an alliance should become the
seed of at first an economic and.
finally. perhaps, also political
united states of Europe.
Should we discard the no longer
vital monarchic and nationalistic in
terests which brought disorder TO all
Europe; if economic boundaries were
no longer identified with political
boundaries. and If European tariff
walls were abolished wherever posi-
BILE, our continent would no longer
have to remain half museum of an
tiquities and half workshop. But
such an industrial unity is not possi-
BILE when public quarrels of govern
ments, prohibitions, threats of con-
troll and military commissions create
an atmosphere of strife.
Must Accept Conditions.
Those who desire immediate col
laboration must also be willing to
accept the conditions and conse
quences. Nothing but the text of the
Versailles treaty, large part of
which already has been torn up,
hinders the governments from CO.
operating as induStrialists, engineers
and laborers would cooperate under
the Franco Belgian program. Since
the needs of real life won't accom-
modate themselves to the Versailles
treaty, then that treaty must ac-
commodate itself to them. Through
such collaboration as l mention
Germany could repair the deyasta
tions to the battle fronts, but couldn't
pay for the widows and orphans pen
sions. She bears the gigantic costs
of present occupation now only by
Withholding the necessary amounts
from reparations. In other words,
the occupying armies are themselves
bearing these costs and also dam
aging themselves by sowing seeds of
national hatred.
The idea that the safety of Belgium
and France depends on these armies
is absurd Frances strong air fleet
could suddenly appear over any or
all important German industrial CEN
ters and only an utterly crazy Ger
many could venture an aggressive
war with her inadequate armament.
Consequently let us have collabora-
tion in the reparations commission
and also in the league of nations.
There. not in notes dictated by politi-
cal considerations, Germany could
present plain facts and figures show
ing Just what she could pay. The re-
quirements of this dark hour is a
solution of the differences of debtors
and creditors which will permit both
to breathe freely and enable the Ger
man republic to regard its debts as
debts of honor and fulfill its obliga-
tions proudly.
Copyright. 1927