Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-16
Lloyd George Said to Have
Interest in Spa Date to
Follow Teuton Event.
HOME PROBLEMS WORRY;
WORLD ROLE AT STAKE
Berlin Hopes to Deceive Its Own
People-France Opposes Brit
ain, Creating Friction.
BY PERTINAX.
uIenri Geraud Editor of Echo de Paris
Try Cable to Tic Star Cnnr yhf ION

Genri Geraud, Editor of Echo de Faris.)
d'y Gable to The Star. Copyright. 1920
PARIS. May l.. - Friday Millerand
the French premier. will so to meet
Lloyd George, the British premier. at
Walton Hythe, the latter's English coun-
try residence. secluded and secure
The consultation will be short, but
its importance will be great, for the
two premiers not only will fix the con-
ference date, but will define precisely
the conditions under which Germany
shall be permitted to participate. With
regard to these vital matters Millerand
at least will consider only the preserva-
ton and application of the Versailles
treaty.
Although it is not true that Germany
has asked that the Spa conference,
which. at first, was dated for May e5,
should be postponed. nevertheless the
German charge d'affaires in Paris and
his more outspoken London colleague
declare that the allies will have all the
advantage if the meeting be delayed
until after the German elections. which
take place June 6. After that date the
entente will be faced by German gov
ernment possessing it's country's conf
dence, instead Of by cabinet and as
sembly both of which have grown stale
to German taste
Eerlin is intensely anxious that the
German elections should not be in
huenced by the disillusionments
which she plainly understands will
flow out of the Spa conference into
the minds Of the German people. The
German government. having mis-
takenly expected the success of Nitti's
program, now deliberately misleads
the German people with regard to
the results of the San Reno con-
ference, where, in fact. the decisions
of Versailles were reafirmed. The
same will occur at Spa, and this. re-
vealed before the elections, would
cast both on the German cabinet and
its supporting parties a shadow so
complete that the governments ex-
istence might be threatened. There
fore it is that Berlin desperately
wishes to get the voting over before
the conference begins.
Lloyd Georges Position.
I search vainly for the word which
will describe the allied premier
willing to accept that postponement,
but several explanations are at hand
for the determination Of Lloyd
George. He thinks the present Ger
man government less Objectionable
than any other likely to succeed in
case it falls. and also breads to set
tie foreign questions which absorb.
attention in his own country. dis
tracing the public mind from
troublesome home difficulties Of
which the Irish problem is most diff
ficult. He also wishes to devise some
scheme which either will involve the
league of nations in the negotiations
between the allies and Germany or
to insure the permanency of the su-
preme council, enlarged by German
membership.
Recently he endeavored to intrust
the league with organization of the
Spa conference by supplying it's sec
retariat, planning then that the prime
ministers should be asked to repre-
sent their countries inside the
leagues executive council Thus the
council of premiers would have be-
come sort Of world directorate,
wherein Lloyd George would have
played the foremost part, as some-
thing like chancellor of the whole
universe. Thus we should have seen
reincarnation of the council of four
and the great scheme of the founders
of the league preserved.
Lloyd George intended from the first
that the league should be the heir
of the an-powerful Paris conference,
an instrument of the world govern
ment in general, at the disposal of
the big four, concretely under British
control.
To Preserve Councils Life.
Perhaps he has abandoned this
hope, yielding to those who wish to
preserve the independence of the
league, making it something like a
world conscience, but his tactics in
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.