The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-04-07
CLEmENCEAU
FIGHTING TO
SAVE FRANCE
FROM ALLIES
Tiger" in Desperate Strug-
gle Against Indifference Of
Other Entente Nations, De-
clares Simonds.
DEADLOCK IS REACHED
BY FRANK n. SlMONDS.
Copyright, 1919. BY the Mcclure
(NauoDonar Cyndioo%aN

PAhlS, April tine situation
which four days ago was despairing,
has only worsened in the days that
have elapsed. and deadlock com
plete has arrived. While the people
of France and of Great Britain and
presumably of the United States are
eagerly and hopefully looking for
some solution of the great problems
of the war, four men are sitting in
back room under guard, with all the
outward decorations Of conspiracy, dis
cussing question about which they
are making no progress towards an
agreement.
The tragedy of the situation is
revealed in the case of Monsieur Glenn
enceau. Those who have seen him
most recently say that he has the ap-
pearance of a hunted tiger. Today,
he finds himself deserted by every
one of his allies, fighting single-hand-
ed to save France from the future
German attack which every French
man believes will come IL Frances
present allies desert her Exactly as
one year ago Clemenceau fought the
Germans for France and the world, he
Is now trying to save France, this
time from her allies, IL not from her
enemies.
Change in Leadership.
In the meantime, there has been a
complete change in the situation. The
actual leadership in the Paris confer
ence and in the big Four" has passed
from President Wilson to Lloyd
George. 1t is owing to the interven-
ton of the British prime minister that
the Polish solution, arrived at by ex-
perts month ago, has been abolished.
1t is owing to the Intervention Of the
British prime minister, supported by
Mr.. Wilson, that the Paris conference
is now endeavoring to get into COM
munication with the Bolshevists and
to make terms with assassination and
uchieve accommodation with anarchy.
In the Conference of Four, which Is
now going forward, Mr.. Wilson is in
sisting upon examining every ques-
ton that arises without regard to any
other consideration than the narrow
est possible application of the Four
teen points. Mr.. Lloyd George is at
times aiding Mr.. Wilson, at times sup
porting Monsieur Clemenceau, and at
all times with genius which will
be appreciated by every Englishman,
contributing to reduce the conference
at Paris to state Of paralysis and
anarchy.
And in all this the great, brave old
man Clemenceau, who has lived
through two German wars, Is striving
as the last act of his life to preserve
for his country the barriers to the
northward against the German. He is
asking in the name of France, not ter
ritorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT, he does not
ask for his country a single inch or
German soil or single, solitary un-
willing German subject. He is asking
that for the future, England. and the
United States will Join with France
in agreeing that if Germany shall at
tack France again, as she did in 1914,
If Germany shall transform the treaty
of Paris, when it comes, into another
scrap of paper, the United States and
Great Britain will promise to regard
such action as cause Of war, and come
TO the aid of France.
Eastern Europe Paralyzed
Under the impulsion Of Mr.. Lloyd
George, Mr.. Wilson is being more and
more separated from France; under
the impulsion OF Mr.. Lloyd George,
English support of France in the con-
ference has ceased to exist, and all
France is beginning to feel herself
betrayed by her British ally. Under
the impulsion Of Mr.. Lloyd George,
Poland has been abandoned, Rumania
is placed in danger by the sending OF
SHUTS to Budapest, and every element
in Eastern Europe resisting the Boil
shevist has been paralyzed by the un'
mistakeable evidence Of wish on the
British prime minister's part to enter
into negotiations with Trotzky and
Lenine.
The situation, tragic as it is, is not
without it's humor. 1t would be difi'
cult to say whether more people in
Paris hold Mr.. Wilson or Mr.. Lloyd
George responsible for what has be.
come almost a complete shipwreck, but
Il would not be difficult to discover
that the decision is that responsibility
for what must now be regarded as an
almost inevitable failure of the con
ference at Paris rests with the British
prime minister and the American pres
ident.
France. weary with her sacrifices
almost exhausted with her losses, feel
ing herself abandoned alike by heI
American associate and both her Eu
ropean allies, is becoming prey tC
pessimism and disillusionment which
is sad to see Day by day French sen
timent grows more and more bitter
French hopelessness more general.
Lacks sympathy with France.
From the beginning of the Paris con
ference, Mr.. Wilson has never had
the smallest sympathy with France
or with the questions which were nee
essarily and peculiarly French. He
has been surrounded largely by mer
who were antagonistic to France. He
has himself seen all of Europe solely
in terms Of his fourteen points, never
in terms of the allies or of their enc
mics. But had Mr.. Wilson been left
to himself, had he been brought into
collision with United European al
lance. he could not and would moi
have attempted to impose many Of
his ideas or some Of the most extreme
RaaA IheAaA