Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-04
Germany Is Defended
Against Guilt Charge
10 the Editor Of The Star:

70 the Editor Of The Star:
Whatever Interpretation future his
torians may place upon the problem OF
the origin of the World War, haSty
conclusion rs to the responsibility OF
any one nation for that colossal human
tragedy Is frequently grounded on ma
tional and racial prejudice. The factors
which control national impulses are too
little understood to permit scientific
ANALYSIS To what extent the fears and
ambitions C. the various nations In the
conflict were justified must necessarily
be left to future generations to decide,
with o justinable doubt that final de-
cision will ever be reached. And to
point an accusing finger at the German
people as the sole originators Of the
war may be a popular patriotic gesture,
but it is decidedly unjust and malicious.
The prevailing opinion Of allied and
American historians that Austria Hun
gary started the war In the PalsanS
with the approval and support Of the
| German rulers, and that the Kaiser s
decision to strike was born Of ambitions
to conquer the world, long held by the
Germans, does not include the point
of view of German historians or Of q
considerable number Of allied and
them. The ambitions of Russian Pan
Slavists and the grandiose idea Of an
other French empire seem to suggest
constant suspicious in the minds Of UNI
biased thinkers as to their share In
starting the bloody orgy.
MY own observations in Germany last
Summer have convinced me that the
Germans are not blood-thirsty, that they
are not hoping or planning for revenge,
that they are not longing for conquest
that they are not whining about theif
1 he oP
| 1000, 600 killed and a greater number
wounded, besides the colossal economic
loss In territory and waStage; that their
conscience Is clear about the origin Of
the war, and that they are earnestly
racy. All they want is a better UNDER
standing with the world and oppor-
all they resent Is the determination Of
their enemies>to bleed them white and
to enslave their children and children's
children.
So much for the war-guilt fallacy.
Now q few words about the Versailles
| treaty and the Dawes-Young repara-
] lions agreement. The general aim of
President Wilson's II points was to as
sure a peace of justice, rather than con-
quest, but the result of the peace treaty
| has produced more unrest and diSSatis-
faction than could have followed peace
of conquest. The revival Of many de.
funct petty states has added to the
confusion Of European tongues and am
billions. The reparations idea and its
! collection has raised the most irritating
| problem, involving as 1t does the mir
acle of squeezing blood out Of at turnip.
Ignoring entirely the monstrous prin-
ciple of assessing a staggering indem-
nifty upon unborn generations, one nat
urally wonders how impoverished Ger
many Is expected to pay $27 900, 600, 900
! in SO annual payments under the Young
plan. We know that under the Dawes
plan Germany has paid 81, 800, 600, 900 in
FIVE years, for which she has borrowed
| from the United States 81, 100, 900 ,000
or she has made an average annual
payment Of $4,000, 900 out of her own
pocket. Obviously. this method of pay
ing the allies by borrowing from us is
not sound solution for the knotted
problem of reparations. In the last
| analysis Americans will probably pay
the reparations bill to prevent the bank
ruptcy of Germany.
CHARLES W. PAFFFLOW..