The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-08
Peace Terms Must Give Sc
curity to France and
Strengthen New Polish
State Protection Sought.
MUST PAY WITH LAND
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.
Copyright, 1919. by The Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)

ISEyH the fixing of the western
G~ and of the eastern frontiers
of Germany. The decision
with regard to these frontiers means,
in some respects, more than any other
decision that the Paris conference can
take, because 1t means on the one side
the giving of security to France
against possible return of German
aggression the creation on the other
side of a Poland capable of resisting
German and Bolshevik attack and of
becoming a considerable and import
ant European force.
Discussion of the western frontier of
Germany remains open at the moment
this article is written, but learn from
unquestionable American sources that
very great progress has been made
towards an agreement.
:. Explains Method.
AS matter of fact, the appearance
OF any question upon the calendar of
the peace conference is fairly good in
dication that the Great Powers are al
ready so near an agreement that dis
cussion can be had without any peril
of division. In a word the conference
only discusses after the conference
has agreed.
Many times in the course of my cor
respondence / have pointed out that
there never was any question on the
part of the French of the annexation
of purely German territory on the
left bank of the Rhine. Despite GER
tain ill-natured suspicious and despite
certain extreme statements in the
most imperialistic of French quarters,
not In, ha cf IN af thn yfco
of the people, there has been from the
very beginning remuneration on the
part Of the French government of any
claim to annex German territory, ex-
cept in the case Of Alsace-Lorraine,
which was French until 1871, and the
Saar coal district, part of which was
French until 1915, and all of which
was French up to the Treaty of Paris
in 1914.
French Seek Protection.
The whole spirit and the whole pur-
post of French policy has been to seek
protection against a new German at
tack by achieving some form of neu-
traliZation of German territory be-
twee the Saar and Rhine, so that in
case of another war the struggle would
begin not in the heart of French terri
tory, but in German territory.
Throughout the course of the con-
ference there have been marked diff
ferences in the American point of
view as to the question of financial
payment which Germany should make
TO the countries she has devastated,
but co-existant with tn is difference Of
view, which in reality leaves oppor-
tunity for satisfactory compromise,
there has been developing in Ameri-
can quarters very profound sympa-
thy with the French desire for Sc
curity and in increasing understanding
Of the French mood in this respect.
AS we stay longer in Europe we
Americans grow to appreciate the
European problem much more accu-
rately. A result of this development
of American understanding of French
feeling with respect to the western
frontier of Germany is now found in
the very general expectation that
within he next two weeks the whole
question will be resolved in the follow
ing manner.
Will Not Grant Request.
In the first place, despite German
bluff and menace in recent days, the
question of Alsace-Lorraine will not be
reopened and the preposterous Ger
man demand for plebiscite in Alsace-
Lorraine will not be granted. In a
word, Alsace-L Lorraine will be regarded
henceforth as French territory stolen
from France in 1871, regained for
France at the moment of the German
surrender in November, 1918.
In the second place, France will be
permitted to annex without qualifica-
ton the relatively restricted Saar val
ley area, important because of it's
great coal deposits, and necessary to
French industries now that the Ger
mans have put the French coal-produc-
ing territories on the north out of
business for period of at least five or
ten years.
Thirdly, between Belgium and
France on the west and the Rhine on
the east, there will be created a Rhen-
ish republic. which will serve as a buf.
fer state between Germany and the
countries which she invaded In 1914,
and | am informed that while there
has been no decision in the matter of
the Saar and of the Rhenish republic.
there is no longer any real question Of
America opposing this solution.
Solve Republic Idea.
The question of a Rhenish republic
is TO be solved in the following man.
ner: First of ALL there is no question
Of French or Belgian annexation of
any of this territory apart from the
Saar valley and two or three French
speaking towns on the belgian front
Ter, of which Maltnedy is the most
considerable. This is the decision both
for the present and for the future.
There is no idea that at any time
this country will be absorbed either
by the French or by the Germans. 1t
is recognized to be German. 1t is rec
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