The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-07

sumption that the German will be
transformed by a change in government,
or that it will be possible to trust and
deal with the German who under the
empire was "A methodical murderer and
inCendiary when he lives under a re-
public, socialist or Bolshevist.
The French have had many treaties
with the Germans, But all have been
violated when there was gain for the
German, Belgium was only one case,
For forty-seven years the French have
been bullied, badgered, insulted, vic.
timl2ed; And this has beer done not
by 4 class, but by. a race. Therefore,
the Frenchman finds It difficult to un-
derstand why the American, living
three thousand miles away, should now
undertake to teach him about the Ger
man and regulate his relations with
tons, And | suspect that the French
emotion is very generally shared by
Pefshing's army, to Judge from the let.
ters of the soldiers on our front.
The Frenchman's feeling about the
league OF nations, so far as 1t deals
with his relations with the Germans, is
the feeling that certain border com =
munities have manifested when remote
metropolitan districts undertook to tell
them how to get on with the red In
dian, In France for four years the Ger
man has been engaged, IN the periods
btlWttu bdlNlt, III lluihtit luul dllh
arson. II the Frenchman 10Y shows
himself skeptical about the league Of
nations II Is because he cannot under
stand how one can safely associate in
any international organization with a
nation all Of whose people sanction.
whom practice methods which are to be
described only as German,
French Amazed.
do not think Mr.. Wilson's league
Of nations win arouse any great enthu-
siasm in France, because It is founded
| upon the idea OF the moral as well as
the intellectual and physical equality
between nations, | find Amusement In
the minds of French friends at the idea
that we should expect them, want
them, to join with the Germans in a
league OF nations, ] find apprehension
lest we should seek to compel them to
enter such Il league against their own
better Judgment. find 1t among the
very Frenchmen who are most sincere
ly grateful for American aid and frank
est IN expressing their conviction that
without that aid the war would have
been lost,
Every sensible Frenchman recognizes
that this wal is probably nothing more
than an incident in European history,
He does not see any sign OF a change in
tina German appetite, In the German
ambition; he sees that Germany
changed her tone. but only after her
defeat was too unmistakable to be
further concealed from the mass Of the
German people, He has been fighting
the German and he has u pretty shrewd
notion Of the enemy. He has measured
him mentally as well as physically, and
he does not find any promise In q
league OF nations which includes Ger
many, and he recognizes that unless
the league Of nations includes Germany
II is nothing more nor less than an
other alliance OF the old sort,
Looking now to my English acquaint-
anCes, ! am frank to say that | find
in this quarter very little more enthu-
siasm for n league OF nations Of the
cate. There is the same gratitude fol
American aid that the French show
There is the same unqualified praise
for what we have done, praise gener.
Gus beyond measure. There is, beyond
this. Il certain i~narttCulate satisfaction
that after a century and more OF
mutual misunderstanding and intel
lectual and sympathetic separation q
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 America
should make for herself in the peace
congress, | am satisfied there would be
quite as prompt a British support as q
French Endorsement, | feel sure that
both the British and the French would
be glad to sacrifice some portion o
their own interests II by that s~acritic,
they could please America or prov'
their gratitude But, just as the French
are apprehensive, the British are dis,
turbed, and their d~isquiet grows out o.
the reported purpose of America, a
the peace conference, to seek to trans
fer from Britain to some interuationa
body the mastery of the seas, tn,
power which, In British hands, has jus
saved the world and prevented tn,
downfall OF the British empire.
Fears Germans.
II we should ask the British to as
sociate with us In a league made up o.
America and Britain, with France anC
Italy rs lesser partners, to regulat,
the oceans, to police them, | do no
think there would be the smallest hest
fancy on the British part, for tn,
British would trust us to play the gam
fairly, to mean what our words seemed
to mean when we spoke them, to holc
to our pledges when we had givet
them. But, again, the danger seems t
- ~. -. .1,NI aI.D,afa Tho aApNtg,