Evening star., 1939-01-31

culous legal title based solely on
former acts OF force held up before
them.
And this is true not only of Ger
many but Of all nations in a SINH
lar position.
For 1t is quite clear that: Either
the wealth Of the world is divided by
force, In which case this division
will be recorrected from time to time
by force: or else the division is
based on a ground of equity and
therefore also of common sense. in
which case equity and common
sense must also really serve the
cause of justice and ultimately of
expedience.
No Obligation on Have Nots.'
But to assume that God has per-
mitted some nations first to acquire
world by force and then to de-
fend this robbery with moralizing
theories Is perhaps comforting, and
above all comfortable for the
"haves," but for the 'have-nots." 1t
is just as unimportant as it is in
teresting and lays no obligation
upon them
No nation is born to be a "have-
not and no nation is born to be
"have." But the distribution of
wealth in the world has been the
result of historical development.
AS far as Germany Is concerned
the situation Is very simple. The
Reich has 80 million inhabitants;
that means over Is persons to the
square kilometer. The great Ger
man colonial possessions which the
Reich once acquired peacefully by
treaties and by paying for them
have been stolen-contrary itdeed to
the solemn assurance given by Presi-
dent Wilson which was the basic
condition on which Germany laid
down her arms.
Development Expedited.
Germany, which was late in ac-
quiring her colonial possessions, was
able to develop them in a relatively
short time, and before the war was
not faced by the same acute needs
as today. This objection is conse-
quently just as foolish as II any,
body were to question a nation s
capacity to build a railway because
it had no railway a hundred years
ago.
Germany does not require her
colonial possessions at all in order
to set up armies there-she has a
sufficiently large German popula-
ton for this purpose at home-but
to relieve her economic difficulties
But even II this be not believed, 1t
is wholly immaterial and in no way
affects our rights.
The fact remains that a nation
OF 80 millions will not be willing
permanently to be assessed differ
emily from other nations.
AS she lacks sphere Of economic
development for herself, Germany is
forced to satisfy her own require
ments by an increasing participa-
ton in world trade and in any ex-
change of goods. For on one point
those very nations must be agreed
namely. that the economic
existence Of nation cannot be
maintained without sufficient sup
ply of foodstuffs or without inde-
pendent raw materials. -
Conditions today make 1t quite
impossible for Germany to withdraw
from world trade.
Trade Practices Defended.
In this connection must add that
the reproach that world trade is
declining through the German
methods Of a mutual exchange OF
goods can, If it is correct at all, only
be addressed to those who are to
blame for this development, and
they are the States with an inter-
national capitalistic outlook, who by
their currency manipulations have
arbitrarily destroyed every fixed re-
lationship between individual cur
rencies as it suited their own egois-
tic needs.
But under these circumstances
the German system of exchanging
for every piece of honest work an
equally honest piece of work is a
more decent practice than payment
in foreign currency which a year
later will be devalued by so and SC
much per cent.
If certain countries combat the
German system, this is done in the
first instance because through this
German method of trading the
tracks Of international currency and
bourse speculation have been abol-
ished in favor of honest business
transactions.
Germany, moreover, does not force
her trading methods upon anybody
else. but neither does she let any
parliamentary democrat lecture her
on the principles on which she shall
or may act We are buyers of good
foodstuffs and raw materials and
supplies OF equally good commodi-
ties.
Subjugated to Necessities.
German economic policy is subju-
gated to necessities OF such a severity
that no sort of threat with capi-
talistic weapons can restrain us
from this course; because, as en-
phasized already, the power which