Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-10
Spa and Its significance
BY Frank H. Simonds
Downright iosoBy The Mcclure New syndicate)

| fraction of her Indebtedness to ia ose she
has wronged France and Britain arc
also at odds in the Near East, differ over
the policy to be followed toward Russia,
are in fact drifting into an attitude OF
| mutual recrimlnation and resentment.
| Italy is estranged from France because OF
! French policy in the Adriatic and from
/ Britain because of the British support OF
the Greeks. The two rivals OF Italy IN
the east, Jugo-Savia on the Adriatlc and
Greece in the Aegean, are thus backed by
Italy's recent allies to the natural indigna-
tion of the Italians.
In addition the United States has
already assumed the position which Britain
presently came to adopt toward CONT
mental questions a century ego. In a
word then the Germans arrive at Spa TO
find the alliance which defe tied them
almost as completely battered as wes the
Congress of Vienna at the moment when
Napoleon landed from Elba. Then the
temperance of "a common foe, the re-
surgcnce of n common peril served to
restore the alliance, which remained IN
tact until Waterloo had been won and
Napoleon eliminated forever. Presumabl
the return of the kaiser and the renascence
of old Junker purposes would reunlte the
present conquerors of Germany but even
this is doubtful and there is smal pros
pcct that William will return.
Thus the chance which Ialleyrand
seized at Vienna and was only prevented
from turning To the profit OF France by
Napoleon's fatal venture hes before the
Germans, not perhaps Mt Spa but In the
international assemblies of the immediate
future, of which there will be many.
They will have full opportunity to en-
deavor to capitalize Anglo-FrenCh quar-
rals. Franco-ltalan disputes, TO deal with
the various European nations several,
instead of collectively as hitherto. Only
TallCyrand seems fortunately TO be
lacking 90 them.
Spa then is in fact. the significant dis
closure of real change in European affairs.
Germany is on her way back, she is taking
her first step toward the position which
from 1916 onward Prussia first and then
Germany occupied in Europe She has
lost much by the war in territory and IN
commercial prosperity. her fleets gone
irrevocably and her colonies likewise.
Even Alsace- Lorraine viii hardly be
regaincd in the present generation, II at
all Her losses to Poland on the other
hand seem far less final and she has not
vet been compelled to make any consider
able payment against the lndemniues
demanded Dy the VlCtoFS, uuelilitNS
which would in reality prevent her be-
coming great military power IN the next
thirty years. :,
To wiggle out Of all payments, AT All
events 20 escape from any but the most
insignificant. to keep open the prospect
of rcgpining Danzig and Posen, to play
the British and French against each other,
TO realize on Franco-ltalian lealousles,
to egg France on to acton which Britain
will oppose, to stretch out hand toward
Russia rs an eventual ally against Poland
against Western Europe, this must be
German policy and there is at least fair
chance that this policy will succeed.
In any event Spa is likely to prove date
in contemp prary history, quite as import
ant as that which saw the Congress OF
Aix-la-C -ChapelIe assemble almost CEN
tury ago.