Evening star., 1920-02-22

IL it were not for the Anglo French
American treaty of guarantee. Now
the Anglo-American guarantee has
events in the United States Senate.
and every well informed Frenchman
knows that the United States il not
prepared to guarantee at the risk OF
a new war in Europe either the Rhine
this situation develops the French de-
mand for the revision of the treaty of
Versailles. but, IL one may use an
Anne mericanism: the demand for a revi-
sion upwards"
See Ruin Of Germany.
In Britain. on the contrary, the
tendency is in exactly the opposite
direction. Many Englishmen. speak
ing with great authority and from
economic phases of the treaty of
Versailles involve the economic ruin
of Germany and assert that this ruin
will involve all of Europe and not
impossibly the United States. They
therefore demand that the treaty shall
be revised in favor of Germany, not
out of immediate tenderness for Ger
many, but to save the economic. the
political and the moral fabric of
European civilization.
And it is at this point that America
becomes involved. These Englishmen
argue that revision of the treaty can
only be had II America uses her great
financial and consequent moral infiu-
ence to force such q revision. More
over. they argue that the first step
America must take is to forgive her
recent associates in the war their in
debtedness to her of 10000, ,o00, 200.
BY indirection. this cancellation OF
debts will contribute to lessening the
weight Of the terms imposed upon
Germany. because upward of six or
seven billions Of this debt is owed US
by Belgium and France. Moreover.
both Belgium and France osve Brit
ain large sums and IL we caneel Brit
aims indebtedness to US she vSll can
Gel that of Belgium and France to
her. To start with. then. the United
States will pay this $10.ooo. .oo0, 900 in
the shape of Cancelled indebtedness
which will. in the end, reduce Bel
gian and French claims upon Ger
many by this amount and thus open
the way to salvation Of Germany
economically.
the second for the United States fol-
lows logically. We shall still hold
the purse strings and we may, by us
ing future loans as a stick to foftify
our moral authority. demand that all
the European nations. but chiefly
France and. Belgium. who are most
| money reparation from Germany to
such a total as will be within Ger
man resources to pay and remain not
only solvent, but useful unit in Eu-
| ropean economic, political and moral
society. But the money phase Is only
| one circumstance: we are in addition
to undertake to compel France. ITALY
| and Poland and other European ma
tions to modify their territories as
| well an their demands. 4
Deubts q. .. ABILITY.
Further than this, my own experienca
At Paris by no means convinced me that
the United States POSSESSES he knowl-
edge or the experience in European mat
| ters to enable n to act with WISDOM OF
even justice In settling Eufooean mat
! justices. We unmistAkabiy supported
British views and opposed French, in q
MEASURE, because the British were wise
enough, Is we'll as gracious enough, q
fall In with our own. We daa not e. u
INTO question certain British s0quiStions
/ which stood or fell on the same prin-
cfple that justified or condemned Frsncf
or Italian acQuiN6ons which We vin-
lently opposed. We surfendered to ia
pan and remained obdufate In The pres-
| ence OF Italy. not becauso' the moral ci..-
cumstances were different, bat becau~
We had lost Italy's support for the leae,e
OF nations and feared the loae Of Japan's,
with the conseQuept coIlapoc Of the
scheme. if We took g. similarly higA tone.
In sum. In my Judgment. wise Amsri-
can policy cannot be further and much
| increased participation in the settlement
OF purely European questions. The
present invitation carries With II the
certainty Of collision with France ana
Great Britain.
I shall have failed entirely in .ni.
that regard British and Erench
claims for security as unjust On the
contrary. they seem to me to be exaetIy
the claims which the German course
In the recent war and the German
policy IN the last century made IN
evitatole. But because British and
French circumstances are dissimiiar
ana therefore their demands for Sc
curify are also unlike, cannot see
any excuse for the United States to
cnanl champion or accept the British and
to reject the French, we must in 1us-
tice reject the British.
AS an American I am prepared to
support the French claim to the occu-
patton Of the left bank of the Rhir,e.
because l recognise that save for
american guarantees. this is the sole
military barrier for France arainst
Germany. and that but for the promise
OF the American guarantee France
would have been awarded this barrier
IN Paris: In the same sense accept
colonies. And 1 accept the French oc-
cupatfon and Possession Of the Sarre
basin exactly rs I accept the British
rine.
It 10 true that the British policy in
wolves far less danger to world peace.
but II this makes the acquisition
easier. 1t does not make II technically
ouster For centuries. whenever Brit
sa ain has felt her sea supremacy chal-
won the fight, and annexed such col
onies as she chose. In the same way
the French. whenever they have
emerged successful in q conflict with
their northern foes. have sought 20
re-establish the Rhine barrier. which,
has been since the time Of Caesar the
military frontier Of France. These
are two immutable facts in the his
tories of two nations. the revelation
OF two national instincts; I must ac-
cept or reject both, and accept both.
American Duty.
But as an American I cannot ac-
eept the idea that it is the duty Of
and OF blood to undertake to restrain
these historical instincts of two
great nations. much less, to accept one
and reject the other. Duties We may
these duties does no. seem 20 me to
amount to the obligation to under
take world regulation, with all its
risks. to undertake to do for the high
est moral purposes what the German
undertook to do for the lowest ano
basest purposes nearly six years ago Z
On the contrary, my judgment rs
that the national instinct underlying :
all else in the controversy which has :
been going on in this country for
many. many months over the league
of nations has been founded upon
shrewd realization upon the part Of
the mass Of American people that Il Z