Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-19
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

1t is reported in dispatches from
| Europe that Germany is seeking to
enter the League OF Nations. with
the object. primarily. Of retaining
! her lost colonies. Germany, like Italy
| and Japan and some other countries,
is said to feel overpopulation cramp-
ing her growth, and especially to suf-
! fer industrially by the fact that she
cannot produce raw materials under
! her own dominion to supply her home
| industries. She complains that the
| world put up a tariff to protect it's
own industries against the finished
products Of Germanys ma nufa tories,
and that therefore she must produce
| raw materials under her own flag.
Yet there Is no country which charges
any export tariff on the exported raw
| ma terials. hence the argument is a
| bit confused.
the World War was settled with Ger
| many, article 119 provided as fol-
| lows:
Germany renounces in favor of the
principal allied and associat ted pow
| ers all her rights and titles to her
| overseas possessions"
| There was no string to that cession,
! 1t was one of the conditions precedent
/ TO silencing the guns and to the pre-
| ventiOn of the forward march to Ber-
| lin. Before victory had come to the
allies and associates, all the colonies
of Germany had been. by secret agree
ments between the principal allies
| arceled out to such of the powers as
wanted colonies. The United States
refused to accept any mandates or
! colonies whatever. 1t may be that
politicians in Germany today are
feeding their constituents with talk Of
retaining her lost colonies. but the
talk is not taken seriously outside of
the German Republic.
The League of Nations has no SOW.
ereignty over colonies which have
been intrusted to the respective pow
ers. unless the power holding man.
date fails to comply with its terms
or volunta rily relinQuishes it's hold
ingS. AS Fra is maintaining war
, in Syria and until recently also in
Africa, to assert her rights over man
| dated territory, and has invested
! many millions of golden francs in
such maintenance, she could hardly
he expected to relinquish the man
| dates without resistance, simply upon
request of her enemy
Will Belgium relinQuish Ruand
lTrandi in Africa? Or Great Britain
or Mauru Island? She divides Cam
Groom and Togo with France: will
those two powers hasten in consent
ing to hand the land back to Ger.
| many?
When will Japan give back the
Caroline Islands. Ladrone and Mar
shall Isla Japan, too. is over
crowded. New Zealand holds tC
Western Samoa: Australia has the
Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea
and Solomon Island. Most of these
| lands, and certain others, are held
not by mandates but by final cessiop
Japan holds mandate over Ger
tain lands and cities in China which
Germany had seized when a Chinese
mob had killed a German missionary
It has been set up by Germans that
the ma ndate powers are abusing the
natives and are therefore liable tc
have their ma ndates declared for
feited. BY what court not controlled
by the powers accused can Germany
be the plaintiff?
|
Article 12o of the Versailles treat y
says:
The government exercising AL
thcrity over such territories MAY
make such provision as II thinks fl
with reference to the repatriation