Evening star., 1933-10-15
LEAGUE AND ARMS
POLICY EXPLAINED
Refusal of Powers to Relax
Unfair Restrictions Is Held
Basis of Action.

Ter of Germany today on the disarma-
ment question follows
In November. 1918 in trustful faith
In the assurances laid down IN Presl-
dent Wilson'S IA points, the German
people lowered their arms in the un-
holy struggle that had reached an END
for which, perchance individual states
men. but certainly not the peoples,
could be made responsible.
The German people fought so herol-
cally only because it was Sacredly con-
yinced of having been unJustly attacked
and thereby being in the right In the
fight Other nations hardly had an
inkling of the magnitude Of the sacrl-
fees which it had then, practlcaiiy
relying solely on itself, to bring to
stop. If in those months the world
had in a fair manner outstretched
hand to a PROSTATE opponent much
Mfering and endless disappointments
would have been spared humanity.
Treaty Is Blamed.
The German people suffered the
worst possible disappointment. Never
before has the vanquished so honestly
endeavored to assist in healing the
wounds of its opponents as had the
German people during the long years,
fulfilling dictates loaded upon them:
If all of these sacrifices could not lead
to real pacification of peoples this was
due solely to the nature of the treaty,
which. in its attempt. to render eternal
the concepts of the victor over the
vanouished, also had to eternalize the
hatred of the enemy.
The peoples could rightly have ex-
pected that from this greatest war IN
the worlds history a lesson would be
drawn, no matter how small, especially
as it concerns European nations, the
chances of possible gain stand in pro-
portion to the magnitude OF the sac
riflces
When, therefore. in this treaty Ger
many was compelled to destroy her
armaments to make possible a general
world disarmament. uncounted millions
believed that therein lay merely eVi-
dence that redeeming realization was
making headway.
Expected Nations to Disarm.
The German people destroyed their
weapons Relying upon the good faith
of their former enemies. they, them
selves, fulfilled the obligation of the
treaties with really fanatical fidelity.
Unmeasurable quantities Of naval aerial
and land war material were dismantled,
destroyed or Scrapped. According to
the wish of the debating powers,
small professional army inadequately
armed replaced the former army Of mil
lions. Political leadership Of the ma
ton. however, at this time lay in the
hands of people who were spiritually
rooted in the world of the victor states.
The German people could rightly eX-
pect that for this reason alone, that
the rest OF the world would redeem its
promise IN the same manner as the
German people. who in the sweat Of
their labor amid thousandfold distress,
and unspeakable privations, were en-
gagged In redeeming their treaty obli-
cations.
No war can become the permanent
condition OF mankind. No peace can
be the perpetuation of war.
Some times victors and vanquished
must find the way back into the COM
munity Of mutual understanding and
confidence. For decade and half the
German people have hoped and waited
for the time that the end Of war would
at last become the end of hatred and
enmity. The purpose Of the Versailles
treaty, however. did not seem to be the
one to give mankind the final peace,
but rather to keep it in a state of per-
petual hatred. The consequences were
unavoidable
When right definitely yields to might.
lasting uncertainty will derange and
arrest all normal functions Of national
life
Desired Trustful Cooperation.
In concluding this treaty, it was COM
pletely forgotten that the reconstruc-
ton of the world cannot be vouchsafed
by the slave labor Of the violated ma
ton. but solely through trustful Coop
Grafton of all, and that for this Coop
erative effort the elimination of war
psychosis is the foremost precondition
Also, that the problematical question of
responsibility for war cannot be cleared
up historically by having the victor
compel the vanquished, as the intro
duction to the peace treaty. to sign his
confession of guilt. but that then the
final guilt for war is easiest deductable
from the content of such dictate.
The German people is deepliest con-
Vinced Of its guiltlessness for the war.
Other participants in this tragic mis-
fortune may, as far as we are con-
cerned, have the same conviction.
How much more necessary is it to
emphasize everywhere that such con-
vinced guiltlessness of all does not turn
into forever lasting enmity and that
memories of this world wide catastrophe
shall not be preserved artificially for
that purpose-that unnatural perpetu-
alton Of the idea Of the victor that the
vanquished shall not create an ever
lasting state Of inequality, that after
such prolonged malady of mankind.
filling one side with understandable
haughtiness, the other with bitter
wrath 1t Is not accidental certain con-
sequences ensue. The catastrophal de-
cay Of economic life was followed by
no less menacing general political decay.
Consequences Of War.
What sense. if any. did the World
War have If its consequences. not only
for the vanquished. but also for the vic
tors. manifest themselves only in an
endless chain of economic catastrophes?
The welfare of nations is not any
greater. and their political happiness
and their human contentment. have not
really become deeper. Armies of un-
employed have developed into new
class Of society And precisely, as the
nations economic foundations have been
shaken. so now. also are their social
foundations beginning to weaken.
Germany had suffered most from
these consequences of the peace treaties
and the general instability arising
therefrom. The number OF UNEMPLOYED
mounted to third of the number
normally employed in the nations pro-
ductive life
That means. however. that in Ger
many some 100000 human beings
counting in the members of fami-
les. out of IS 100000 were without the
possibility of existence and found
hopeless future staring them in the
face. It was merely question OF time
when this army. economically disinher-
tied, had become an army Of fanatics
who politically and socially were
estranged to the world. One Of the old
est lands of culture in present-day civ
ilized humanity stood with over 6.000.-
900 Communists at the brink OF ca
tastrophe which only conceited lg-
norance could overlook.
Menace Of Communism.