The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-12-07

miles away, should now undertake
to teach him about the German and
regulate his relations with this
neighbor through a League Of Ma
tions. And I suspect that the French
emotion is very generally shared by
,Pershing's army, to Judge from the
letters Of the soldiers on our front.
The Frenchrnan's feeling about the
League OF Nations, so far as it deals
with her relations with the Germans.
is the feeling that certain border
communities have manifested when
remote metropolitan districts under
took to tell them how to get on with,
the red indian. In France for four
years the German has been engaged;
in, the periods between battle, in
Frenchman now shows himself skep-
tical about the League Of Nations
it is because he cannot understand
how one can safely associate in any
International organization with ma
ton all Of whose people sanction,
most of whom defend and many Of
whom practise methods which are
to be described only as German.
No Enthusiasm For League. -,
do not think Mr.. Wilson's League
Of Nations will arouse any great en-
thusiasm in France, because it is
founded upon the idea Of the moral
as we'll as the intellectual and ply
steal equality between nations.
find amazement in the minds of
French friends at the idea that we
should expect them, want them to
join with the Germans in q league
Of nations. / find apprehension lest
we should seek to compel them to
enter such q league against their
own better judgment. find 1t
among the very Frenchmen who are
most sincerely grateful for American
aid and frankest in expressing their
conviction that without that aid the
war would have been lost.
Every sensible FTenchman recog-
nizes that this war is probably moth
ing more than an incident in Europ-
can history. He does not see any
sign Of change in the German sap-
petite, in the German ambition; he
sees that Germany changed her
tone, but only after her defeat was
too unmistakable to be further con-
cealed from the mass Of the German
people. He has been fighting the
German and he has a pretty shfewd
notion of the enemy. He has meas
ured him mentally as well as physi-
cally, and he does not find any prom
Use in a League OF Nations which in
cludes Germany, and he recognizes
that unless the league of nations in
cludes Germany 1t is nothing more
nor less than another alliance OF the
old sort.
English Viewpoint.
Looking now to my English acqu-
aintances, am frank to say that !
find in this quarter very little more
enthusiasm for a league of nations Of
the sort. which Mr.. Wilson seems to
advocate. There is the same grati-
tude for American aid that the
French show. There Is the same un-
qualified praise for what we have
done, praise generous beyond meas
ure. There is, beyond this, a GER
tain inarticulate satisfaction that
after century and more OF mutual
misunderstanding and intellectual
and sympathetic separation a world
war has supplied the opportunity for
the two branches Of the English
speaking race to draw near to each
other.
And again, for any request Ameri-
ca should make for herself in the
peace congress, I am satisfied there
would be quite as prompt British
support as a French Endorsement.
feel sure that both the British and
the French would be glad to sacri-
fee some portion OF their own in
terests If by that sacrifice they could
please America or prove their graf
itude. But, just as the French are
apprehensive, the British are dis
ttirbed, and their disquiet grows out
OF the reported purpose OF America.
at the peace conference, to seek to
transfer from Britain to some inter-
national body the mastery Of the
seas, power which, In British hands.
has just saved the world and pre-
vented the downfall Of the British
empire.
Favor An Alliance.
If we should ask the British to as
sociate with us in a league made up
OF America and Britain, with France
and Italy as lesser partners, to reg
llate the oceans, to police them,
do not think there would be the
smallest hesitancy on the British
part, for the British would trust us
to play the game fairly, TO mean
what our words seemed to mean
when we spoke them, to hold to our
pledges when we had given them.
But, again, the danger seems to be
that we shall advocate the admission
OF the German into that association.
the German who has just desisted
from submarine nlurderings because
he encountered q higher law OF
necessity than the one he invoked