nothing wanton or perverse in the decision. strength is strangled;
Heligoland can do no more harm The publication of the terms is a great and solemn than a gun without a cartridge in it.
occasion in our history. But we go further than that, and As regards the indemnities Germany is to pay, they are say that it is also a glorious occasion. In the hour of of a strictly provisional kind, as really everything has yet victory we have not been false to our trust. We have to be decided by a Commission. The only certain thing is shown the severity of judges in whose keeping is the peace that one thousand million pounds shall be paid within the and order of the world ; we have spoken to the criminals next two years. There is, however, a general estimate in the manner in which criminals ought to be addressed ; that Germany will be able to pay at least five thousand but we have not shown a spirit that is petty, vindictive, million pounds, for that amount is demanded on account malicious, or extortionate. No doubt some Englishmen On the whole, we believe that the Allies have taken will declare their dissatisfaction with the money terms ; the right course. They intend, as we have con- but we venture to think that if the Prime Minister can keep tinually urged that they should, to make Germany a cool head, and stand fast by his terms on the ground that admit her full responsibility for the whole cost of the war. they are just and far-seeing, and not regard them as designed That is a moral responsibility which Germany must acknow- to purchase the fickle favour of some immediate bidders in ledge before the bar of the world. But when we come to the political market-place, he will find himself on very the question whether it is wise in our own interests to try firm ground. The Peace, again, is what it ought to be— to make Germany pay beyond the uttermost farthing a dictated Peace. We sincerely hope, though we cannot of which she is practically able to pay, we are considering course feel any certainty in the matter, that the Germans another matter altogether. What does a sensible business will have enough sagacity to accept the terms bodily. The man do when he is owed a large amount of money by a salvation of Germany lies in accepting the assistance of the firm in shaky financial conditions ? He extracts an Allies, which will not be withheld unless the Allies are met acknowledgment, before the Courts if necessary, of what by contumacious and obstructive methods. Count Brock- exactly he is owed, down to the last halfpenny. But the dorff-Rantzau's speech at Versailles was not altogether last thing he will do is to cheat his own pocket by pressing reassuring. We should have much preferred a frank and the debtor company so hard as to drive it into the Bent, ample apology. That of course would have been his strong ruptcy Court. The happy mean has to be chosen as mud' suit, for Germany of to-day professes to be en entire break- by nations as by private traders. If expectations aro away from the old regime. It would have been a very easy fulfilled, Germany will pay off the estimated five thousand matter for him to offer an apology on behalf of a system million pounds in thirty years. The term, however, may for which he was not responsible and which is no longer in be prolonged. And if militarism is really ended, we shall existence. But a false Prussian pride prevented him in effect get an enormous payment by being relieved of from doing even that. the upkeep of bloated armaments. Another point entirely
Though many questions are provoked by the Peace to the good is that Germany is to surrender all her huge
terms, we fancy that three will rise above all others in the merchant vessels and half of her smaller vessels, and is to mind of the nation. These are : (I) Do the new boundaries build during the next five years a million tons of shipping of States really remove as far as possible the grievances and hand them over to the Allies. It is a most satisfactory: of races ? (2) Does the Peace really put an, end to the fact that after a rather ominous silence the " ton-for-ton plague of militarism? (3) (This is much less important, but policy is to be insisted on after all. No doubt Mr. Lloyd it will be asked not leas than the others) Are the Prime George used reckless and unwise language at the General
Minister's electoral pledges redeemed I Election, but we think he will have little difficulty in proving As regards the new boundaries, France in a geographical that, whatever impression he may have intended implecl'' and racial sense should be satisfied with getting Alsace- ately to create by his words, he guarded himself sufficiently Lorraine, and with the ownership of the Saar coalfields. in the letter of his pledges to be able to say that he has Belgium, Poland, Denmark, and Czecho-Slovalda should stood by his word.
TOPICS OF THE DAY also all be satisfied. None of them could have got more . without exciting grievances among their neighbours.
Poland has certainly received more than was expected.
THE PEACE TERMS. Though the Kiel Canal is to remain in German hands, it rilHE Peace is a good Peace. At least, if we may take will be open to the navies and merchant fleets of the whole 1 it for granted that the précis writer has given us a world in times of peace. We retain our opinion, however, just summary of the long and complicated terms, we can that it would have been better to place it under an inter- see no departure from what it was always the intention of national administration like the Danube. the vast majority of the British people to aim at—a Peace We turn now to the military and naval terms imposed which, though necessarily very severe in rendering harmless upon Germany. We truly believe that they mean the the rabies of German militarism, should in no part of the end of militarism. That is a tremendous fact. No one world plant the seeds of future wars. There must be no ought to run away with the idea that we shall enter at sowing of the dragon's teeth which will rise up, when the once into an Elysium of peace, for while the world is period of germination is fulfilled, in crops of armed men. threatened with Bolshevistic robbery under arms there can Of course there are difficulties—only too many of them— be no thought of dispensing with many soldiers and and we have continually called attention to them in dis- many ships. Our work is not yet done. But the way is cussing some of the illogicalities of the League of Nations. open to the goal ; we see it lying plainly ahead of us at the In such a complicated problem all difficulties cannot end of the path, and it is shining in the sun. No great possibly be removed, though we think many more might nation except Germany has ever wanted to pester the world have been removed. But apart from the speculative with a constant rattling of sabres, the clicking of arrogant nature of the League of Nations, there remained the possi- military heels, and blasphemous invocations of the Almighty bility of a very much greater peril to the world than any- in the interests of a bullying country determined to dictate thing that the Covenant might contain—that was the to everybody else and insult them when she could not possibility that in order to quiet the importunity of some dictate. The manacles, therefore, put on the German aggrieved member of the Alliance, a flagrant act of in- military wrists are heavy and tight, but not too much so. justice, such as the assigning of a tract of territory to alien Germany will have an army and a navy just big enough ownership, might be perpetrated. We repeat that we can to do their proper police work. Heligoland is to be dis- discover no• such blunder. No one would expect that mantled, but not to be blown sky-high. We are glad the the principle of Self-Determination could he applied with island is to remain as a shelter for hard-pressed fishing precise accuracy. Here, there, and everywhere there must craft. Let us hope that it will once again become a resting- be a certain overlapping of nationalities. Perhaps the place for migrating birds, as it used to be in the old days. most obvious case of assigning a population to what that The birds would be fit emblems of a lasting Peace. It population might allege to be alien ownership is the in- would have been most wasteful to blow up Heligoland. corporation of an Austro-German strip in the new Czecho- Some people talk of the island as though it somehow Slovakia. We cannot go into all the details of that arrange- generated a military and naval strength of its own. It ment, but we are satisfied that the decision of the Conference was dangerous, of course, only in the degree in which was unavoidable. The line of least difficulty, where all German strength was dangerous. It was dangerous lines were difficult, was followed. There was absolutely because of the use to which Germany put it. If German
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