Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-15
GERMAN COLONIAL HOPES
CLASHINC WITH ITALY'S
Berlin Expectation Of League Aid in
Getting Back Pre-War Lands Likely
to Be Disappointed.

tain, France and the United States
for many essentials of her home in
dustries. she must have tropical lands
of her own. Moreover. the question
of prestige, of power. was far from
negligible. the imperial dream had
quite conquered the German mind
War Wrecked Scheme.
The war, of course. wrecked the
whole German conception. Before the
armistice came the German colonies
were practically conquered. although
resistance continued in one corner of
German East Africa. The treaties Of
peace stripped the last acre of Ger
man overseas possessions and dis
tributed them among Britain. France.
Japan and the British Dominions OF
South Africa and Australia. Even
more completely than the early
French COLONEL ventures in America
had been swept away in the great
struggles with Britain. German pos
sessions in Africa were abolished
To add to the German bitterness.
not only was their empire abroad
seized. but also the warrant for this
action was set forth ir statements
that German treatment of the natives
had been such as to make the seizure
of German colonies and their perma-
nent alienation a matter of morals.
and that Germany was manifestly un.
fit for colonial enterprises because of
her brutality. Thus. precisely AS In
the matter of war guilt. the German
people felt that rehabilitation must
be had and could only be had through
the creation of a new colonial en-.
pire.
From the outset Of the post war
period, then. German determination To
become once more a colonial power
has been undiSguised 1t has, more
over. grown steadily. until today il is
one of the controlling emotions of a
very considerable and influential sec
ton of the German public. which Is
giving utterance to it's wishes. to its
demands with ever increasing en-
phasis. No one can make any est
mate of actual German feelings and
national purposes without counting In
the desire of colonies.
Hope for British Support.
Britain. too, has taken notice of
this sentiment. and there have been
certain rather significant Incidents
which have. to say the least, given the
Germans the impression that they
would have British support i'm a new
colonial venture.
OAiO VI tHc I'll EtIlleHIS III favor OF
Locarno and the league has been the
belief that, once Germany became a
member, she would find it easy TO
obtain mandate for some colonial
region, probably for p region which
had been hers before the war
In point of fact this belief has
crysta llized in the present German ex-
pectation that following German en-
trance into the league she will with
little delay have transferred to her
the British mandate for German East
Africa, become Tanganvika since it
passed to Britain. And German East
AFRICA was not only the most pronis-
ing or her colonial estates. the best de-
veloped. but it was also the corner
stone of her larger dream and the site
OF her great colonial railway. the
trans-African. which had already
reached Lake Tanganyika and was to
De extended over Belgian territory 10
connect with the other German rail-
way starting in the Gulf of Guinea.
The very detiniteness of this Ger
man expectation. however. has latterly
had two rather disturbing results. In
the first place In Britain there has
Deen an cutlery against any surrender
OF Tanganyika and the minister Of the
colonies, Leo Amery. has been forced
to make the categorical denial OF any
ofnclal purpose to retire from this
mandate. Moreover, il is a notorious
fact that the Union of South Africa
VIII never consent to retrocede Ger
man Southwest Africa. Thus for the
moment all hope of quick recon
struction of the African empire dis
appears.
Italy Now i'm Market.
In the same sense Mussolini has
spoken with characteristic emphasis.
1taly is In the market for colonies.
Her needs for expansion are quite as
and respectable as Ger.
many's. Moreover. she was an allv
or the nations which inherited Ger
man colonies as a result of the war
and she feels that her share was dis
proportiOnata to her deserts What
justice can there be now in anV Brit
1sh plan To give Germany colonies
While Italian appetite is unsatisfiedo
We come first"--that is the gist OF
Mussolin's message. He vetoes all
retrocfssion to Germany or transfer
OF mandates, and the Italian veto in
the league would suffice.
1t remains possible that the British
may in some fashion revive the old
contract about Portuguese African
colonies and arrange that the Ger
mans should have reversionary
right to Angola. Yet any such AZ
tempt would instantly arouse general
obJectlon for the memories of the
war are still fresh enough to insure
protest against any German estab.
lishment on the flank of British sea
lanes to South Africa. In theory the
British may be willing to permit Ger
many TO have new colonial empire.
Out In practice 1t is hard to see anv
place where such an empire would NOT
arouse British approximations.
Yet In Germany-and in Italv-this
hunger for land Is becoming a con.
Stunning passion. Neither country can
now believe in the possibility of terri
torlal expansion In Europe The
Italians have laid aside their hone Of
restoring the Venetian empire along
the Dalmatian coast and accented
Southern Slav possession as perma.
nent. They have Fiume. but Fiume
Is an end, not beginning Dalmatia.
could only be conquered by war and
by war which would be dangerous
and costly beyond calculation. There
fore. with real statesmanlike vision.
Mussolini has made friends with the
JugoSlaVs.
Many Turn to Turkey.
But what remains? Will Italy make
var upon Britain to regain Malta, to
conquer Egypt and replace Britain az
The greatest Mediterranean state?
such a thought is absurd VIII she
make war upon France to reconouer
for Italy Corsica and replace France
IN Morocco, Algeria and Tunis? II
there are hardy Italian patriots who
dream this thing, the obstacles are
still almost beyond calculation Ger.
-ainly in the present generation the
ask Is beyond Italian resources and
mere Is good reason to believe that