Evening star., 1920-04-02
FRANCE TO INSIST
ON TREATY TERMS
Military Operations Follow
German Evasion of Ver-
SailIeS Pact.
BY FRANK II. SIMONDs.

understood by all Americans who
desire to keep abreast of for
eiGn affairs. The French parlia
ment has. by an overwhelming ma
&. 1ority indorsed policy which means
an end of the effort on the part OF
the French nation to accommodate its
necessities TO the policies and pur-
poses Of its recent allies. France. after
long experim with dissolvine
alliance. has determined hencefortf
to resume freedom of action.
The vote of confidence given TO the
Nilierand cabinet followed fran X
declaration by the prime minister OF
Henceforth France Will insist with
unflinching determination upon the
integral enforcement of the treaty
of Versailles. Further failure on the
part of the Germans TO comply with
the terms of that treaty will be fol-
lowed by prompt and far-reachlng
French military operate
This French decision is predfcated
upon a state of facts which is unnlis-
taxable. The United States has re
tired from Europe and the treaty OF
Versailles has been rejected by the
United states Senate. America is thus
no longer in any sense partner III
the enforcement of the treaty. Great
Britain. through Lloyd George. has
been persuaded of the need OF a mod
ifcation of the economic terms OF the
treaty. n modification which may
benefit the British. but can only harm
the French. italy has thrown her lot
with the British for the sole purpose
OF Gripping French policy.
Watch Own Interests.
In this situation France has no 9TH
er choice but to look out for her own
interests Despite the treaty agree
ments the Germans have failed to fur
French economic recovery They nave
evaded practically every one OF the
provisions OF the peace pact. notaplE
those which regulate the disarmln
of the nation. Almost year after the
signing of the treaty Germany mas
hundreds of thousands of men under
arms and has not the smallest inten-
tion of complying with the promise
made in the treaty
For the French the duty is. there
fore, unmistakable. 1t is Tor them,
single handed. to undertake to Obtain
that reparation and that victory FOR
tunately for France. she has the nee
essary machinery. Her army is in
comparably superior TO any available
German forces, not so much mum oerS
as j. resources and in organization.
The Industrial and transport crisis IN
Germany has abolished all chance OF
the concentration and operation OF an
the war.
II the French actually determine to
use force to carry out the treaty pro-
visions. to enforce performance OF
agreements by the Germans then
German resistance will be hopeless
And the French mean TO enforce the
treaty provisions. The whole nation
is aroused at what it conceived to be
the combination of German purpose
to evade the treaty with British policy
to seek the Softening OF the terms
themselves. France has come to the
end of the policy of joint association
with allies who are unwilling to ac-
cept her views in matters which are
of gravest import for her, while read
lily accepting her enemy's view. be-
cause of prospective profit for them.
Seeing Final Breakdown.
We are seeing the final breakdown of
the alliance against Germany. What
is to come in the long future is beyond
all reach of prophecy. but in the I'M
mediate future We are bound to see
energetic and effective French action,
designed to end the period OF defiance
in Germany. SO far as compliance with
the peace terms are concerned In re-
cent weeks French officers have been
murdered, French civilians insGited and
lnaltreated, the supplies OF coal promised
France under the treaty withheld and
the final defiance is contained i'll the
increase not the reduction of German
military forces.
Now, at last. despairins of all allied
help. possessing a strong and united
majority in the chamber. a majority
which approXinates unanimity. for
tunate. too. in having strong man as
prime minister il! the crisis, France pro-
poses to act. Failure 10 act would
tring down the Miiiarsnd government
in an hour. its latest colossal ma jority
vas due solely TO the promises which it
made. Moreover. the only effective OPP
POSITION is the opposition headed BY the
former prime minister. BRAND. which
seeks to take Office on the pledge to
enforce the treaty strictly.
The break between British and
French policy will now come into the
open, unless, executing one of his ia
miiiar somersaults. Lloyd George
ranges himself with France again. In
any event France has reached the
limit of concessions in the interest of
harmony. The next yielding will have
to be British. After all France has so
far been made to pay the costs both
of the war and Of the peace to a
wholly disproportionate degree. and
the whole French people are weary Of
this policy on the part of those whom
they long regarded as allies. but now
conceive to be rivals. taking advan-
tage of French credulity and good
faith
Capitalized French Opinion.
What has happened N France now
IL. In some respects. due to the remark
n nich fresiuei.t Wilson Iaveied at the
French nation the other day, when he
alleged that the militaristic element
had come into control. This served
10 crystalline French sentiment to an
amazing degree. France has been the
hrSt OF the European nations to re-
gain political equilibrium after the
war. The most conservative of all ma l.
tons by reason of the fact that her
politics are dominated by her peasant
proprietors.
She has esca aped the menace of boil
sheFlsm and extreme radica iism which
remain so dangerous for Italy She
is also beginning TO recover her bal
snce and her confidence, tempora riiy
shaken by the terrible loss in blood
and treasure IN the world war. a
clear vision and a new strength are
discernlble in recent French events
and together these give vitality to a
new French policy.
Convinced of her present needs
aware of the strength which remains
in her hands. perceiving that she has
nothing more to expect from her re-
cent allies. France now proposes to
harvest the fruits OF her victories and
10 obtain so far a. il is possible that
security and reparation which alone
can save victory of 1918 and can alone
prevent the war from being for her
only sterile bleeding. French pol
icy will now and instantly be sub
jcCted to criticism in italy, Grea,
Britain and in certain quarters in