The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-01
GERMAN VIEW
OF ARBITRATION
Movement May Result In Either Peace
or War as Far as the
Berllners Can
See It.
Germany VIII Not Submit to America.
England and France Act
ing as Worlds
Police.
by Herbert A. White, Berlin CORES

by Herbert A. White, Berlin cores,
pendent of the United Press
BERLIN, May Twill the arbi-
tration movement now in progress
produce peace or war?
This is the question now being
eagerly debated by German states
men and politicians, many of whom |
are convinced that far from bringing
ABOUT an area of universal internation-
al friendship the disarmament pro-
posals put forward by America and
England will give rise to so many
contentious that the ultimate effect /
will be the precipitation of a great |
conflict of nations. For this reason,
the whole arbitration movement is
viewed in Berlin with deep suspicion
and undisguised hostility.
According to information received
here, the negotiations between France
and the United States for the conclus-
ion Of an arbitration treaty are quite
as far advanced as the negotiations
between England and America. The
arbitration treaty in view between
France and the United States pro-
vides for arbitration Iii all cases in
Guiding those in which the honor of
the contracting nations may be at
stake. 1t provides for what is tech
nically known as arbitration in
tegralo,' in other words, for com
pulsory arbitration, SO that if France
and America were ever involved in
a. dispute they would be subject to
the necessity of submitting it to a
4 tribunal In this respect, the project
! ed France-American treaty resembles,
/ of course, the treaty in view between
England and the United States.
1 1t is also known in Berlin that the
4 English and French government have
4 exchanged views on the progress of
their respective negotiations with the
state department in Washington on
| this matter. London and Paris have
been proceeding in perfect accord
:. with one another This fact alone re-
veals very close relationship be-
tween London. Paris and Washington,
and this intimacy between England,
/ France and America is regarded as
inimical to Germany's political inter
ests.
Information has also reached Ber-
lin that after the conclusion of the
1 Anglo-American and the France-Amer-
4 lean arbitration treaties respectively
there will probably be an arbitration
treaty between England and France
on identical lines. This would mean
i that America, England and France
would be bound together in triple
league of peace.
4 1t is fully recognized here that a
treaty providing for compulsory arbi-
tration between England and France
would be fundamentally different from
such treaty between France and
America or between England and
America. England and America are
peopled essentially by the same race,
speaking the same language, and pur-
suing identical ideals so that the
abolition of the possibility of war be-
tween them has something natural
about America and France have no
such common ties, but they are so
far removed from one another that
the possibility of a conflict between
them is not very real or tangible
But England and France are not
only radically different. being peopled
by dimerent races, having divergent
ideals and dissimiar languages and
with tradition of centuries of mutual
hostilities behind them, but they are
also in close vicinity to one another,
, so that in spite of their present
friendly relations there is plenty OF
future possibility of rivalry and even
enmity An arbitration treaty be-
tween England and France would
thus really inaugurate a new era in
the worlds history, that is, If it con-
taiI4ad as it is intended to do, the
provision for compulsory arbitration
applied to all classes.
The business idea UNDERLYING the
conclusion of such arbitration treat
les is the reduction of expenditure on
ornaments, which has now reached
such figure as to press heavily upon
even the wealthiest of nations. 1t is
QulIe obvious, HONSN6I, llldl tllSilCet,
England and France, even if they are
bound to one another by league of
peace, cannot incur the risk of re-
ducing their naval or military arm
aments so long as the other great
powers like Japan, Russia Austria
/ and Germany, continue to maintain
/ huge armies and nayies.
| In other words. America, England
/ and France. after concluding among
! themselves triple league of peace
! will. it is thought in Berlin necessar
i lily as logical conclusion, desire tc
f impose the arbitration principle upor
/. the remainder of the world.
I Germany, with its intense virility
, regards the idea of compulsory arbi
tration with something approaching