The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-01
FUTURE SAFETY
OF FRANCE TO
Be MADE SURE
BY CONGRESS
Precautions Against Depreda-
tons of Last War Will be
Demanded in Peace Terms
by French Nation.
IS NOT lMPERIAL|STIC
BY FRANK n. SlMoNDs.
Copyright, 1919, by The Mcclure
Newspapcr Syndlcate)

BY FRANK n. siMoNDs.
(Copyright, 1919, by The Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate)
- ARIS, Feb. 1.--At the outset
IMVNI OF any discussion OF condi-
lNI tions in the Paris confer
IwIl ence it is essential to estao-
I&Ml lish the principles and pur-
NNyRl poses OF the great powers
YSl here represented, and ac-
cordingly / propose in this
article to discuss exclusively the
French view of peace negotiations
and to try to explain besides wnat
France desires and demands IN the
shape of settlement Of the great war.
In later articles l shall try to deal
in similar fashion with the purposes
Of Great Britain and Of Italy as ex-
pressed here in Paris.
To understand the French state OF
mind It is necessary first OF all to re-
member at all times that France has
been invaded country. The war has
been fought on French soil and While
England and the United States are
most concerned with the relatively
abstract questions of making war I'M
possible in the future, French states
men and French soldiers alike, what
ever their faith in the league OF ma
tions, are bound primarily to take pre-
cautions against another invasion.
II you talk with Frenchmen. some
where in the discussion there Is bound
to be asserted the fact that four times
in century Prussian or German arm.
les have come down from the north.
in all cases bringing destruction, and
save in the last case. taking from
France a portion of her territory.
Fear Future.
As a consequences, the imperative
demand OF the French people upon
their representatives in Paris is that
no matter what engagements are
taken internationally in the shape OF
League of Nations. there must also
be practical steps taken as o form
of insurance against q possible failure
Of the League Of Nations. suppOse
44hat~a10UlsoUunoDrr1RaFO Steater hope
that the league may succeed than in
Fnnoe, but for the same reason no
where ID there greater fear that 1t
may fail and the same cloud Of de-
from the North once more.
Now translating this French senti-
ment into fact becomes difficult
u
in is rather widespread suspicion
both among the English and the Amer
leans that France is once more the
prey Of chauvinistic and imperialistic
demands. The commonest of all as
sertions is that France once more de-
mands the left bank Of the Rhine from
Lauter to the Dutch frontier, while
French aspiration seeks to restore
conditions created by the French
revolution and expressed in familiar
phrase "The natural frontier"
So far as l am able to Judge from
conditions here existing. it is not an
accurate statement There are GER
tainly Frenchmen who desire the left
bank of the Rhine, as there are Ameri-
cans who desired to see Mexico an
nexed to the United States; their
views are heard. but they are the
views of individuals and not of the
nation or of the government.
Demand AIsace-lorraine
What the French demand as a
whole is that Alsace-Lorraine shall
return to the republic. that the front
iers Of 1870 shall be restored, and that
in addition France shall receive the
to 1S14-concerning which / shall
, is all. think there are very few wise
or thoughtful Frenchmen who desire
to create a new Alsace-Lorraine. to
their own detriment. as Germany ere
ated hers nearly half century ago.
On the other hand, with respect to
territory between the Alsace-Lorraine
frontier and the Rhine, France has
certain definite views. These views
are military and not political. In my
judgment France will demand that
strategic railways constructed by Ger
many before the recent war, and for
the purpose of waging this war, the
great lines which led to the Belgian
frontier, shall be destroyed.
For Military Purposes
These lines had no economic pur
pose, they were double track trunk
lines. stopping abruptly at the Bel
gian frontier. in many cases, with ter
minal facilities which bore no rela
tion to any peace-time traffic. Be
cause these lines existed. Germany
was able to push her mighty hordes
into Belgium four and half years ago
In the second place, the French will
demand that the Notifications that ex-
list on the left bank of the Rhine shall
be destroyed, with the single purpose
that Germany shall not be able again
to repeat the 1914 episode and push
aggressive war into the heart OF
French territory in the very first
weeks of the struggle.
Finally the French will demand that
the Germans maintain no garrisons
and no armies west of the Rhine. and
that in my judgment is what the
French expect to get and substantial
ly ALL Germany on the west bank OF
the Rhine, under inducements such as
mitigation of their share of the price
to be paid and the burdens of war
may choose to separate themselves
from the German nation and become
an Independent republic. thus Great.
: ing a buffer state between France and
Germany. But do not believe that is
more than hope, or that 1t will con.
stitute any definite French program.
Now In sum all these things mean
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