Evening star., 1933-10-29


postwar period and the begin
i ming Of pre-war era. 1t insures
the abandonment of all the ma
chinery which has been created in the
postwar period to preserve peace and
. return to the old order, which Is that
of balance of power. Moreover. the bal
ance of power method is only effective
through war.
France and the United States for q
probationary pediod, pending acquisition
OF equality of ornaments. and in quit
ting the League of Nations, Germany
has recovered her freedom of action
which was lost by her military defeat.
That loss was legally registered in the
treaty of Versailles, which, in addition
to territorial surrenders, imposed a
military occupation of German territory.
financial indemnities and unilateral dis
armament.
During the Stresemann era Germany
was able to free her soil from foreign
armies five years in advance OF the
treaty date. At the very close of the
republican period she obtained at Lau-
same a practical abolition of repara-
tions obligations. BY her course at Ge-
neva she has now freed herself from
treaty restrictions as to her ornaments
save as the legal right still remains
with France and her other former foes
to resort to force to compel German
compliance with the disarmament
clauses Of the treaty.
Action Seems Logical.
German action at Geneva seems to
me at once logical inevitable and
morally justifable. The fact that a
great people lost does not furnish
a moral or equitable Justification for
the permanent and forcible detention
of that people in a state Of compare
tive helplessness In the face Of her
armed neighbors. Legally, Germany
has been and remains bound by the
terms of a treaty imposed upon he-
after military defeat. Practically her
claim to equality in armamentS seems
to me founded on absolute justice.
That justice would have been recog-
nized and honored by her conqueroIs
in the present disarmament conference,
but for the fact that the rise to power
of the Hitlerites and the disclosure of
their purposes naturally and rightly
alarmed Europe and the world. To
permit the Germany of the Nazis to
rearm was to provide a madman with
weapons to commit murder. But to
deny Germany, however dominated,
rights which are inherent in national
sovereignty was to assert an authority
over Germany which could only be
maintained by force.
What the statesmen Of other coun-
tries attempted to do at Geneva was
to persuade Germany to accept a pro-
bationary period, during which she
was to be good and at the end of which
her former ConquerOrs were to be rea-
sohable In this probationary period
1t was hoped that Hitler and his mot
ley gang would become civilized. It
was play for time pure and simple
But 1t was an obvious play and the
National Socialists were well aware that
concessions which were being refused
them would have been granted to the
overthrown. And they were also aware
that If Hitler failed where Bruening
would have succeeded, their prestige at
home and abroad would be shattered
irreparably.
The absurd thing about the whole
Disarmament Conference was the OBJ
stinate refusal of American and British
publics and politicians to recognize the
fact that only two solutions were ever
possible. The first was to abandon all
attempt to limit German armaments
unilaterally The other was to serve
nOClce upon Germany tQdC IeaIndnenC
would mean military occupation. The
prestige Of the Nazi regime was at issue
from the very moment it came to power
shame and Servitude Of the treaty Of
Versailles
1t was preposterous always to believe
save in the face Of Irresistible coercion
consent to endure restraints which
would necessarily have been removed
Ali the hnaI simon proposal. to which
the British, French and Americans sub
scribed. actually meant was that these
Nad German what they had aheady
recognized at an earlier time was Ger
many's just due-namely, equality In
fact as well as In theory.
Naturally Germans Of every class and
shade of political opinion share the
NaN resentment at the attempt to put
Germany on probation after having
already held her in subjection for nearly
Is years following her military defeat.
Even for Hitler, agreement to such q
proposal would have been suicidal It
was acceptance of such a situation over
past years which constituted one Of the
fatal weaknesses of the republic
But, being properly scared of what the
Hitler crowd would do once they had
equality in armaments, Anglo-Saxon
and French statesmen tried to postpone
such possession and wrecked the League
Of Nations as consequence.
Physical Force Vital.
Now that Germany has broken away,
what does 1t mean for the future?
Patiently it means that Europe will
substitute for the present League
machinery to maintain peace the old
system of the balance of power. That
is the alternative which Mussolini has
been urging for years and the alterna-
tive which is instinct in his four power
pact Of last Spring. That system avoids
all the evasions and indirections of the
League. It takes the matter out OF the
hands of an organization which relies
upon moral force and puts it squarely
in the hands Of a coalition which must
and will rely upon physical force alone.
France, Poland, Czechoslovakia and
Italy are directly concerned with the
German purpose to modify the terri
torial clauses of the Treaty of Versailles.
Great Britain is directly concerned with
any expansion of Germany which might
lead to the establishment of German
hegemony in Europe. Both Italy and
Great Britain are less directly concerned
with the question of the eastern from
tiers of Germany than France and Po-
land. But all are united in a common
purpose to prevent German annexation
of Austria.
In any four-power association Of
France, Germany, italy and Great
Britain, France will speak for her
Polish and Little Entente allies. Italy
will speak for Hungary and measurably
for Austria. The discussions will be
conducted upon the basis Of force and
not upon that of moral or even legal
rights. If Germany attempts to realize
union with Austria she will be con-
fronted by the military opposition OF
the other three great powers backed by
their allies.
On the other hand. as MussOlini has
aiaaEls. s,s,sasis.aI Il is Oh.