order to make certain that Japan would ratify the Versailles treaty, although the representatives generally seemed to feel that Japan was taking unfair advantage of the situation. The Saar Valley and Two other questions of importance were the Saar valley demands of France and Germany's protest against giving Dantzig to Poland. These questions, however, were settled with comparatively little friction. The changes made in the German boundaries and possessions were as follows: beginning on the north and west, Schleswig was given the right of self-determination and slight changes were made in the boundaries between Germany and Belgium, and Germany, France, and Luxemburg to correspond with changes made to the south. To France was ceded Alsace-Lorraine with the boundary of July 18, 1870, that extended from Luxemburg to Switzerland. In addition, France was given possession and ownership of the coal mines of the Saar valley. Germany renounced her right of government over this region which the treaty placed in the hands of a commission of the League of Nations for fifteen years. At the end of that time, a plebiscite will decide whether Germany or France shall take over the political control of the region. The boundaries between Germany and Switzerland remained intact. The boundaries with Austria were left intact to the frontiers of the new Czecho-Slovak state. Germany recognized the independence of Czecho-Slovakia, ceded to it a portion of lower Silesia and recognized the boundaries that existed between Germany and Austria on August 3, 1914, as the German-Czech boundaries. 9 The creation of an independent Poland was a difficult matter and was a problem long studied by the experts of the Peace Conference. The Russian portions of Poland had already been recognized as independent, so that the treaty attempted only to fix the boundaries. between the newly organized state and Germany. In general, the lines gave to Poland the lower tip of Silesia, the old Poland taken by Germany under the partition treaties including Posen and West Prussia and the upper or southern portion of East Prussia. Dantzig, however, was made a free city under the protection of the League of Nations. Germany agreed to respect the permanent and rightful independence of all the territories comprised in the Russian Empire on August 1, 1914, and also the rightful independence of Austria subject to the will of the Allied Powers. In addition, Germany renounced her rights and interests in all her former colonies and recognized the right of A plebiscite in the remaining part of Lower Silesia gave this territory to Germany. the Allied Powers to make such provision as they chose for these territories, as well as with Austria, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Naval Terms of the Con gress. The treaty permitted Germany to retain an army of one hundred thousand officers and men. The officers were not to exceed four thousand for all branches of the service, and were to Military and serve twenty-five years. The petty officers and men were to serve twelve years. All military schools were to be closed except those necessary for training enough officers to keep their number at its ordinary strength, and Germany was to forbid her citizens to serve in the armies of other nations. The artillery, rifles, and ammunition were cut to numbers proportional to the army and all guns and ammunition in excess of these numbers were to be handed over to the Allies. The naval clauses fixed the following as the number of ships to be available for German use: six battleships, six light cruisers, twelve destroyers and twelve torpedo boats. All submarines were to be surrendered and no submarines for either naval or commercial purposes were to be built. Germany might train only enough volunteers to man effectively the ships retained. She surrendered outright all naval ships interned under the armistice terms. 10 Germany agreed to stop manufacture of munitions of war of all kinds except the guns and ammunition necessary for the forces left her. She was forbidden to manufacture for sale or use all poisonous gases. She was to surrender all her aircraft and was forbidden to include aircraft of any kind in her military or naval forces. She was further required to modify her laws in conformity with the military and naval terms of the treaty, within a period of three months, and to give interallied commissions freedom to supervise the carrying out of the treaty. Germany agreed to destroy all fortifications in the North and Baltic seas that were designed to prevent the entrance of ships into these waters. She agreed to destroy all mines in the North and Baltic seas; to dismantle the fortifications of the island of Heligoland, those west of the Rhine and fifty kilometers east of the Rhine; to refrain from erecting any fortifications in the proscribed district or from carrying on any military maneuvers of any kind. Germany also agreed to return all prisoners of war and interned civilians, as soon as the treaty was signed, and to pay all expenses involved. With the Allied governments, she also agreed to dig the 10 The ships interned in English ports were sunk by their crews shortly after the terms of peace were made public. COMMISSION APPOINTED BY THE PEACE DELEGATES TO FIX THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WAR. Copyright, Underwood & Underwood graves of soldiers and sailors who were to be buried within the respective territories, and to respect those already there. Penalties and Reparation Fixed by the The treaty required Germany to hand over to the Allies all persons accused of offenses against international law or of criminal acts against the inhabitants of any of the allied nations. In this portion of the treaty the name of William II of Hohenzollern was specifically mentioned and provision was made for his trial. Germany was required to furnish all documents and information deemed necessary for the full knowledge of such acts. Congress. By way of reparation, Germany acknowledged under the treaty her responsibility for the war and was required to make compensation for all damage done to the civilian population of the Allied and Associated Powers or to their property by land, by sea or by the air. In addition she was required to pay the cost of the maintenance of the Allied forces in Germany for the period after the armistice so long as they were maintained in Germany. Germany agreed in addition to restore Belgium and the devastated regions of France. To the treaty was attached an appendix defining in detail the materials to be restored and the indemnities to be paid by way of reparation. The treaty established a commission on reparation and required Germany to issue bonds to the amount of five billion dollars (one hundred and twenty billion marks) payable not later than May 1, 1921, to maintain the armies of occupation. She was further required to issue bonds to the amount of ten billion dollars (forty billion marks) bearing interest at 22 per cent. per annum between 1921 and 1926, and 5 per cent. thereafter. She was also required to agree that when the commission determined that she was able to meet the interest and sinking fund obligations, she would issue a further amount of ten billion dollars (forty billion marks) at 5 per cent., the commission to determine time and method of payment. The commission was authorized to demand additional issues if in its judgment Germany was able to pay them. The treaty required Germany to replace ton for ton the shipping illegally destroyed by Germany during the war. She was to hand over at once practically one half of her merchant fleet and to build at the orders of the commission such additional ships, up to two hundred thousand tons per year. In addition, Germany was required to furnish to Belgium and France, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs to an amount specified to replace those seized or destroyed; and to furnish building materials " This part of the treaty was not enforced by the Allies. and coal to France and Italy for a period of ten years. The Allies were to be allowed an option of receiving from Germany such amounts of dyestuffs and chemical drugs as the commission might determine. Germany was also to hand over to the Allies a portion of her submarine cables, specially named, and to restore to France and Belgium the trophies, arts, archives, and historical souvenirs taken by her during the war. The treaty provided for the resumption of economic relations with Economic and Commercial Clauses of the Treaty. Germany. It attempted to regulate the duty rights of Germany in relation to the Allies and to protect the private interests of Allied subjects in Germany for a period of years following the acceptance of the treaty. It stipulated the commercial treaties which were to remain in force as well as other conventions to which Germany had previously subscribed. It also abrogated the treaties made by Germany with Russia or any of its recently organized portions, or with Roumania, and gave to the Allies the benefits of all treaty rights granted by Germany to neutrals during the war and to her allies in the war before August 1, 1914. A tribunal made up of German and Allied citizens was provided for each of the Allied countries and Germany, to adjudge questions of indebtedness, of contracts and judgments of fire, marine and life insurance; and rules and regulations were established under which the tribunal should adjudge cases. Germany was required to accede all its former rights and privileges to nationals of territory separated from Germany by the war and to repay the sums received by way of state and social insurance from such nationals before the war. Rules and regulations were established for aerial navigation, especially of Allied aircraft in German territory, and such rules and regulations were to apply for a period of five years or until Germany may be admitted to the League of Nations. The treaty provided for freedom of transit through German territory, on the most convenient routes for Allied goods; Germany agreed to a limitation of her control over such goods, to take the necessary measures to see that the transit was bona fide, and to make no discrimination in duties or charges on imports or exports as between any of the Allied and other countries. The vessels of the nationals of the Allied powers were guaranteed common treatment with all other nationals in the ports and waterways of Germany. Germany was required to maintain her free zones in ports and the former regulations of such ports. The Elbe, Oder and Niemen rivers were declared international; commissions were established to admin |