Patea & Waverley Press FRIDAY, JULY 25, 1919 HAVE WE FORGOTTEN?

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 25 July 1919, Page 2

Patea & Waverley Press FRIDAY, JULY 25, 1919 HAVE WE FORGOTTEN?

WE can scarcely credit the report from Wellington, to the effect that an agitation is already on foot to reinstate a Germanborn Professor at Victoria University. The heroes who have laid down their lives to save the people of this Dominion from a fate far worse than death itself are hardly cold in their graves, when individuals who have apparently forgotten the sacrifices made, arc agitating in favour of German-born subjects as against their own kith and kin. There is another school, too, who persist in urging that no economic war be waged against Germany in the future because, forsooth, if this is done she will not be able to pay the indemnity demanded. These misguided individual; must have a very poor sense of proportion or they would real he that it was the British money poured into German coffers that made war possible in the firstplace, and any future business dealings with Germany would only serve to assist her in gaining the revenge that she is looking eagerly forward to already. If it is absolutely necessary to build up Germany to gain the indemnity demanded then it were better that no indemnity had been asked for at all. But, of course, it is not necessary to re-open trade relations with Germany in order to enable her to Meet her obligations. The Supreme Council of the Allies it may be taken for granted have icon to it that Germany will pay in full whatever her trade relations with the Allied countries may be. When one hears the cry of the faddists not to humiliate Germany, and to resume trade relations at once, one is tempted to wonder if these pcaec-at-any-pricc individuals have read anything about the war at all and whether they consider the German in the light of an honourable foe. Do they believe that he fought like a savage and no! like a civilised being at all ? Do they know that he introduced into the late war methods that uncivilised beings would have shuddered at ? Do they believe that thousands of the flower of manhood alone were made to die the most horrible of deaths through gas poisoning that was sprung upon them as a surprise ? Have they forgotten the barbarous liquid fire that was introduced by the Hun contrary to the Hague convention and all rules of civilised Warfare ? Have they, in fact, forgotten that all conventions regarding the usages of Avar and to* Avhich Germany had placed her hand and seal, Avere repudiated as so many “scraps of paper” ? Have they forgotten the deportation of thousands of the young Avomcn of Belgium and France into Germany ? Have they reckoned up the casualties that Germany Avas responsible for during the past five years in her efforts to trample the work! under her feet ? Bet us examine them for a moment. Russia’s total of killed and Avounded and prisoners, at a conservative estimate, is set doA\*n at nine millions ; France’s losses numbered 4,33.1,600 ; Britain’s 3,049,991 ; Belgium’s 205,090 ; Italy’s 1,757,000 ; Boumania’s 000,000 ; Servia’s 300,000 in dead alone ; Greece’s 100,000; and America’s 236,117. A total of over nineteen and a half million people. The figures arc colossal and arc almost past ordinary comprehension. If the nineteen millions of suffering people could be ivscmbled together and vieAved from a mountain top, the magnitude of. the suffering caused by Germany during the past five years might be gauged. Would it not therefore be madness to do anything that Avould put Germany in a position to again cause untold suffering and death to nearly tAventy millions of'■people ? Supposing the economic Avar that the pacifists are averse to Avere Avaged against Germany for the next fifty years so that Germany kneAV something of the meaning of the Avord poverty would not this be bolter than alloAving another Avar to occur with all its attendant horrors ? It must be remembered that to Britain more than any other country is due the fact that Germany lost the Avar. It must also be remembered that Germany had she Avon the Avar-Avonhl have made life not Avorth living for every British man, Avoman and child. If this Avas likely to he the ease before Germany had any cause to hate Britain, how much more Avould it be the case to-day if Germany Avere to conquer in another struggle? Would she not take every opportunity of Avreaking vengeance on Britain and everything British. It stands to reason that if Germany stopped at nothing however barbarous and brutal to

gain her ends before she Avas conqueror how much more barbarous Avould she be uoav if she

wore to triumph when she knows that she would have gained her ends in the latq Avar but for Britain. Surely common prudence ought to tell one to be prepared for any emergency and to do nothing whatsoever to assist Germany to ever be in a position to take the field again as a firstclass Bowci*. As for putting a German in a position that could be tilled by a Britisher after the evidence of the Gormans’ nature given to the world during the past five years, the suggestion is one that is little short of an insult', to the memory of those avlio have laid doAvn their lives to save us from the fate of the people of France, Belgium and Scrvia, and more. Before anyone hill;-; of 1 1 ailing with Germany u* admitting her as an equal, let them remember the barrier of Iwuity million human beings who have been either killed, •wounded, or taken prisoner to uifei* untold hardships, and the millions of relatives and friends of the fallen avlio have also suffered grief beyond measure because of the German-made Avar. Bet them then ask themselves if they arc going to alloAV this to ho repeated, and the answer diouid be in every case “Never ! ’