San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-20
Election Campaign Utter
ances Are Disturbing
to French.
OPTIMISM IS UNTIMELY
People Are Already Look.
ing Forward to a War
Of Revenge.
Nv ANDRE TARDIFU.

1OpsAltHts lS@4f Dy SOuSOls IItoS <Nso ~.
Paris, April l9.-Both Germany
and France are in the midst of an
election campaign and the manner in
which these campaigns are being con-
Quoted, reveals the wide difference of
mentality between two neighboring
peoples.
Germany's campaign is based on
nationalism. The trial of General
Ludendortf and the accompanying
demonstration, together with the re-
cent partial election at Potsdam, at
fords sufficient proof of this. De-
feat has only heightened Germany's
pride.
After the war of 1871, Germany
was master OF the world; but the
1918 disaster, instead of proving the
folly OF such ambition, has been fol-
lowed by re-birth OF that arrogant
faith in brute force and scorn of for
eign opinion that caused her fall.
Patriotism Is Different.
For, since Bismarck, Germany
conception of patriotism is not, as in
France, a simple desire of men TO live
under the same law, but a grouping
of material interests, which passed
from bankruptcy to wealth in 1871,
and from whealth to Indulgence III
1918, and wants to re-conquer its old
opulence.
German patriotism, which was an
idealistic conception one hundred years
ago, is q materialistic conception to-
day. 1t means higher wages, domina-
ton of markets and big dividends.
And also it has memory Of 1871 and
a longing to repeat that exploit. So
German PATRIOTISM means war and
that idea is ingrained in every Ger
man who calls himself patriot.
Is this exaggeratlon! Read the
German press where every day is ex-
. pounded Bernhardi's doctrine that
war is divine and is as necessary as
eating and drinking ). we cannot pos
sibly avoid war SO we should not at
tempt to postpone it unduly, but to
provoke it as the most favorable mo-
ment.
F, Substitute Ludendorff's signature
for Bernhardis today and you have
faithful picture of the mentality
which expects to rule Germany after
the May elections.
French Tired Of Politics.
in aspect. The writer's principal criti-
cism is that the French elector, far
from being filled with nationalist pas
sions, is too indifferent. The average
Frenchman, after five years disap-
pointment, after expecting victory
would mean peace and prosperity, is
tired of politics. An Englishman
said the other day: 1--WE are sick of
repara1ions." The Frenchman does
not say it with exactly the same mean
ing, but he says it, nevertheless. He
is tired of conferences and plans from
which no payment ever comes. He is
skeptical of governments of any
color.
Germany never understood Frances
Indignation at the sudden and unpro-
voked invasion of 1914, and today,
less than ten years afterwards it ac-
cuses France of disturbing the worlds
peace. This is a sort of collective
hypnosis, such as brought about the
unanimous vote of war credits in the
Reichstag in 1914.
Germany Attacker and Accuser.
That is the worst menace to peace
today, that complete reversal in the
average German mind of war respon-
sibilities. France was attacked and
ruined and Germany sets herself up
as the accuser. This paradox runs all
through the German election cam
paign.
Two facts stand out plainly in all
this: If Frances election results in
a change of the majority, that change
! will be toward the Left; if Germany's
elections produce a change it will
. be toward the Right. This is situa-
ton plain enough for anybody to
. judge. 49,.
! Considering what the German
"right" is, and considering the daily
exposition of German nationalism, i'm
perialism and militarism, everybody
must agree that this is no time for
. hlind antirnicrn