The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-11-05
THE "EsSH, ~A"|
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Going To Win Again.


| and monarchists in Germany at the
Forthcoming reich elections 1t points out
that in England and France the reaction
against the liberalism of Macdonald and
Herriot has already set in "The pendulum is
swinging back to conservatism, which in our
case means the monarchy" says the paper.
And when that victory is achieved, the Kreuz
Zeitung affirms, the first thing the govern
ment must do is to repudiate that clause in
the Versailles treaty, which was signed by our
representatives under protest, the clause
about Germany's war guilt. The London
agreement also must be thrown overheard
and a more tolerable plan devised for Ger
many. The nationalsts are using flamboyant
material to catch the imagination of the
masses. Yet these phrases don't mean any
thing in reality. It's like Mr.. Lloyd Georges
election slogan: Hang the Kaiser" The
German democrats and liberals who are made
out as traitors to the fatherland because of
the 1918 revolution are not concerned over
this war guilt and responsibility. That's a
minor matter. History will adjudicate these,
they say. They have gone to work and tried
| to lead the fatherland back on the road to
prosperity and culture. All the fiery talk of
the nationalists will not bring the German
people what it needs, rest, peace and happl-
ness The junkers, discredited and repudi-
ated with their fine social positions gone, are
But when they had their empire, they threw
away the chance of making Germany in
reality the leader of civilization and instead
plunged heartily and enthusiastically into
war that brought civilization on the verge of
collapse. The nationalist record ought to
warn the German people.
-
The "Immortals" At Work.
Forty years ago the Academic Franchise
started on a revision of the French language.
Before it had proceeded far, about six volumes
of the 20 having been completed, it became
necessary to start again from the beginning
as certain changes in the spoken tongue and
in contemporary literature warranted such
action. In this revision of the revision" on
which the 'immortals" are now engaged, the
words "defaitist" and "defaitism' have been
thrown out The word was applied by supra
nationalist newspapers during the war to re-
proach pacifists and 1t was no other than
papa Joffre and Marshal Lyautey, both
members of the committee of the academy,
who led the attack on the two words. LIE
Temps reminds the two marshals that to turn
out of doors is not to destroy, to exile is not
to suppress and it even goes so far as to say
that though ''defaitism" is a word without
nobility, it is a very human word, and that
| it has known "defaitistes' who have Loyalty
and devotedly served their country. In Eng
land the words "defeatist' and "defeatism"
have received authoritative recognition. Both
words are included in the new Oxford die
tonary, where the meaning given to de
featism" is conduct tending to bring about
acceptance of defeat, especially by action on
civilian opinion"
| A Piece OF Barbarism.
The Greeks are protesting against the
further execution of provisions of the
Lausanne treaty relative to the forceful ex-
change of populations. The spectacle of
human beings driven hither and thither like
so much cattle has been going on ever since
that treaty was signed. Turks living on
Greek territory must return to the countries of
Islam and Greeks living on Ottoman soil must
return to Greece. Thousands of families, set
tiers often of two, three or six generations,
have been uprooted and dispatched across the
Aegean sea. Most of the exchanges in the
outlying districts have been accomplished
under the supervision and watchful eye of
that guardian angel of the near east, the
American Near East Relief Society. Now
the Turks propose to remove the Greeks living
at Constantinople and other big Turkish
cities. The Greeks claim that those of their
nationality living in Constantinople are ex-
empted under the provisions of the treaty.
That may be So The whole thing is a piece
of primitive barbarism and unheard-of cruelty.
But the guilt does not rest on the "unspeak-
able Turk" this time. For it was the Greek
delegation at Lausanne that proposed this
monstrous procedure of an exchange of popu-
lations. Not that the crafty Ishmet Pasha
did not favor such move. When his secre-
tary had transmitted the Greek demand to
him, for lshmet is stone deaf he had the
maW repeat it and then nodding his head
chuckled audibly and rubbing his hands said ::
"Of course we agree" That is the testimony
of eye-witnesses At the conference of
Lausanne.