The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-29

has neither friends nor enemies. Ii it
were worth while to dig up old feuds, to
which the British are happily little given,
there is hardly nation in Europe which
it has not at one time or another fought,
but for offset there is hardly an impor-
tant nation of which it has not at one
time or another been the ally 1t has
fought for Turkey against Russia and
for Russia against Turkey, for Germany
against France and for France against
Germany. Sometimes it has backed the
wrong horse as great lingo statesman
frankly admitted in regard to British
support of Turkey, but, on the whole, it
has fought the battle of freedom in re-
sisting the successive attempts Of ambi-
tious powers TO control the continent of
Europe.
With this long history of political Vi
cissitudes as a guide, II should be the
easier for British statesmen, when the
excitement Of election is past, to exer-
else the moderating influence which has
been characteristic of British policy. If
England has a hereditary" foe, it is its
ally and good friend, France, and France
cannot forget how British statesmen re-
sisted the demand of its foes a century
ago for its ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Those French
extremists who are now calling for the
destruction Of Germany are not whit
more feryid in their demands than were
the enemies of France, whose excesses of
rage the British government tried to
calm down.
Great allowances have to be made for
a nation which has won a hard and costly
victory over an age-long enemy. The
frontier quarrel between Teuton and
Gaul is as old as history and perhaps as
inevitable as the rise and fall of the
tides. What is happening now is what
has happened over and over again with
the centuries; the only possible novelty
would be to give the thrilling drama this
time happy ending. There would be
nothing new whatever in another effort
to crush Germany; the new and valuable
thing would be to seize the rare and
wonderful chance to reconcile the enc.
mics of 1000 years,
The French revolution had this inspira.
tion more than a century ago, and went
far to bring it about, If the revolution
had prevailed beyond the Rhine, where
a great part of the people became ardent.
~ pro- French, it may be that lasting
reconciliation could have been effected
But the revolution was put down. Ger
many was kept weak and divided under
autocratic rule and achieved unity only
by "blood and IRON" intensifying in the
process the old feud with France Ii was
feud due more TO governments than to
peoples, for whichever nation happened
to have a strong government, abused its
neighbor shamefully; the ravages of
French generals in the Palatinate have
not been surpassed by the German gen
erals in the present war. To understand
this feud and the vital Importance of
right settlement now it is necessary to
consider the whole history of it, and not
merely the chapter which begins with
the defeat of France in 1870.
The French, who led Europe in throw
ing off the yoke of autoeracy and suf-
fered for ii at the hands of reactionary
powers, now have a chance either to cast
their vote for crushing beaten Germany
or to reach out helping hand to the
youngest of European democracies. In
lT92 they were ready to fight for the
spread of democracy; now without fur
Their fighting they can either help Ger
man democracy to maintain itself, or
push it into the Seylla or the Charybdis
of reaction or bolshevism 1t is mo
mentous choice, and in the case OF a he
reditary foe hard choice; other ma
tions, even in urging moderation, can
well appreciate the position of theFreneh.
Springfield Republican.