The Daily Alaska empire., 1935-04-09

the German delegates to the peace conference de- clared, Germany is prepared to agree to the basic idea of army, navy and air regulations provided this is beginning of general reduction of arma- mentsn
 The representatives of the Allied governments then issued their famous reply:
 The Allied and associated powers (which
 included the United States) wish to make it
 clear that their requirements in regard to
 German armaments not made solely
 with the object of rendering it impossible to
 resume her (Germanys) policy of military
 aggression. They also the first step
 toward the general reduction and limitation
 of armaments which they seek to bring about
 of the most fruitful preventives of
 and which it will be of the first
 duties of the League of Nations to promote.
 Accordingly, the armament section of the Yer salles treaty begins with these words Tn order to render possible the initiation of a general imita- tion of armaments of all nations Germany under takes strictly to observe the military naval and air clauses which follow The history of the Leagues attempt to perform this first duty" is familiar It ended in complete failure The League did finally call general disarmament conference, but the Allied representatives particularly the French prov ed so reluctant to agree upon any limitation of their armaments that Germany eventually withdrew from the conference in July 1892.
 Germsnys contention that the Allied pow CTS must either carry out their part of the Yer sailles agreement permit Germany to rearm. since continuance of the existing inequality contrary to the treaty. The Allied powers replied in Decem- Der, 1882 granting Germany equality of rights in the matter of armaments, and Germany returned to the conference But a dispute soon arose over the practical meaning of this phrase Finally the Brit ish proposed that Germany should achieve equality in eight years The plan did not satisfy the Ger man demands and in October, 1933 Germany again withdrew from the conference and this time also from the League of Nations, the ground that the Allied powers had failed to live up to their agreement
 Germanys present repudiation of the armament section of the Versailles treaty through the tion of military air force and the re-estabish ment of conscripton is the outgrowth of the same condition that caused that country to leave the disarmament confernce and the League. The Ger man Government justifies it on the ground. And while, since the Allied powers set time limit upon their voluntary limitation of armaments Ger many technically has violated the Treaty of Yer sailes, there is justification for the German argument that the Allied powers have morally violated their own agreement.
 Two major sections of the peace treaty have now been reduced to scraps of paper. Some time ago. with the reluctant consent or the Allied powers. Germany ceased paying separations, as required under the treaty. Now, without their consent, it has repudated the disarmament clauses after hay ing already QSre9arQeQ those clauses III practlce. Both of these sections of the Treaty of Versailles however were essentially unenforceabe, unless the Allied powers prepared at any time to invade While the manner of their elimination may be regretted the fact had long been foreseen.
 But the core of the treaty, consisting of it's territorial provisions remains in force This sec- tion Of the peace settlement, under which AlSace and Lorraine were returned to France the Schleswig district was restored to Denmark and Poland was created in part out of German territory, cannot be violated by Germany without overt act of war. And despite much brave talk, the present German Government has shown disposition to indulge in such policy. Until it does, war growing out of direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles seems extremely unlikely, if not actually out of the ques- tion