Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-18
GERMANY TO PUSH FIGHT
AGAINST PREPARATIONS
Will Not Remain Unarmed and Debt
Ridden With Neig hbor Nations
Strengthening Frontiers.

Socialist Germany, In this regard think
and speak not from party standpointS,
but as Germans. Understanding with
France, cooperation with other Euro
pean nations, consolidation of peace and
order In Germany-all turn in the Ger
man mind upon the revision of the
peace treaty. which means, frankly and
undisguisedly, the return of the corridor
TO Germany.
Not Planning for War.
But is the German mass, then, think
ing and planning for war? No; quite
the opposite. The Germany Of the
present hour is not a menace, but
mess: it is not an orderly coherent
herent mass. The voices most earnestly
raised in favor of treaty revision are
precisely those that are most fearful
that If existing conditions endure war
will eventually result. And no German,
not even the Fascists, desire war. De-
spite all the fury against peace films
like "kll Quiet on the Western Front"
the true spirit is much more one OF
revolt against intolerable conditions
than of any spirit for fresh adventure.
Suffering, not ambition, explains it.
Every class, condition and order of
Germany is suffering today. Once you
go an inch beneath the smooth surface
of life as you see it in an international
hotel in any capital city, you enter
region of misery and even Of despair
which 1t is difficult to exaggerate.
Along with the despair goes sense
of desperateness, which explains much
in the success of the Fascist movement.
Fascism, its orators, Hitler and Goeb-
bells, have seized upon and exploited
this emotion. And this sense of despair
has dangerously weakened the strength
and authority of conservative and rea-
Sonahle men who are trying to serve
and save Germany in what is certainly
her darkest hour since 1928, if not
since 1918.
Germany is not in any sense a great
nation which after temporary disaster
and momentary weakness is rapidly es-
Gaping from weakness and beginning to
repeat the bombastic words of another
period and a vanished regime. 1t is
still economically, financially, morally
Frustrated. The burden of all German
appeal to the outside world is rather
tragic effort to explain that what exists
in Germany cannot continue, and that
1t is q matter of concern to the world
to aid in preventing either Fascism or
Communism from eventual triumph in
the Reich.
"OnIy Possible Salvation"
And yet along with this spirit Of
despair goes the underlying conviction
that the only possible conditions of
German salvation are the abolition OF
reparations, the restoration Of Ger
many's right to equal security with all
other powers and the revision of east
ern frontiers to restore German unity.
No government, right or left, white or
red, could live an hour which ventured
to renounce any one OF these purposes.
! Thus, if Germany wins through the
present economic and political crisis,
| in the end the situation will be the
same. The vast mass Of the German
people have resolved highly and deci-
sively that they cannot and will not
accept their present circumstances, that
| the treaty of Versailles must be revised
| by reason or by force. The voice Of
Fascism is not the voice of the old
generals, who are not Fascists, nor OF
| the old junker, who has disappeared. 1t
| is the voice of young Germany, which
saws in substance: I'VE did not make
the war; we did not lose the war; we,
cur generation, will not pay for 1t.
Those = 10 accepted the treaty of peace
were towards; these who promised to
pay were knaves: those who now urge
payment and submission are traitors.
What has been imposed means the
death of Germany. But Germany shall
not die
And, of course, Germany will not die.
But the Germany which survives may
be something quite different from the
dream of woodrow Wilson. And, in
fact, one has the sense in Germany
not of living through a crisis but Of
observing the early, significant EVIL
dence of new era.
Copyright. 1879