Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-16
SPA HOLDS OUT SMALL
HOPE, SIMONDS THINKS
Real Peace Far OFF and Same Old Impe-
rialistic Germany Is Seen In
BACKGROUND

about time TO recognize clearly that
peace of understanding is outside
of the possibilities. The German will
sss the he Wal n as ws IT. and
dict as repentant sinner might.
Same Old Germany Exists.
Nor has any new Germany risen
from the ruin Of the old regime. as
was confidently predicted. We have
no new names. no new ideas. no evil
dence of transformation compare
Bile with that France went through.
when. on the news of Sedan, the
tinsel Napoleonic structure was swept
away and the third republic appeared.
TO be sure. the republic was a name.
rather than fact. but all that was
vital and real In French public life
suddenly surged UP in the presence
Of supreme disaster. and, although
the war was irrevocably lost. France
was saved.
In the failure Of a new Germany TO
emerge lies all the trouble OF the
present situation. The way to begin
is to begin. but how can one begin"
France. justly apprehensive OF the
Germany which existed before the
war and seeing the same men holding
the same places of lurking behind the
scenes patiently eager to play the old
parts. necessarily holds to one the
DRY about German policy. Britain.
and it is amazing how much clearer
ones vision is when one Is out of
range of the enemys guns-holds to
another view. Italy inclines to the
British view. Belgium to the French.
| the United States has no view. ON
| cially, which can De translated iif,o
| fact.
Now 1t is impossible for the English
man to convince the Frenchman that
| the German danger has been abolsh-
t. tynry n
| that this view is correct and much TO
| controvert 1t. Nor is it possible TOT
| the Frenchman to convince the Eng
| lishman that Germany Will always pe
| exactly what she has been from BIS
marck's time onward. For there is
nothing in history to prove that the
ultimate result of the war may hot
| be the destruction of German faitn II,
violence as the most approved metnou
| Of national progression
either as a permanent menace to the
peace of the world or as potentiai
member Of q new society OF nations.
| There Is no middle ground. AS result
we have had experiments nret IN one
! direction and then in anotner. p p
! neither experiment has succeeded pc
cause neither has called forth from
the German any satisfactory response.
Ia remains as bewildering as In the
DAYS when he talked to us tnroush
his propaganda in q iasnion s.ntIw
aiways amazed and not infrequenty
| infuriated US.
world stu Waiting.
Tor months the world has been
waiting for some sign from the Ger
nan which would indicate that real
conversations were possible. lnH. -. ~
hour had arrived when IT would oe
possible to discuss w tas s soms hopeful
result, But no sign has come. Inc
German has continued to protest. 10
denounce, to cling to all OF ms oIa
Views. He does not concede tnat ne
was beaten in the field. he does not
Versailles are binding. The militaris,
tic element continue influential. anG
| in all their utterances repeat the eHii
| words which proved TO pc accuars
forerunners OF evil deeos h'e sA'
Nevertheless the experiment OF d.
| rect conversations Is now to De mace.
The German is to be permitted TO
come to Spa and discuss the an I'M !,
portant question Of reparations. 70
present his view Of what he can pay
Of the vast amount which should De
pafd. IL the distractions OF the war.
the wanton distinctions In France
and Belgium are to be liquidated. Ana
no sooner is there an invitation to the
German than there begins to come
from Germany exactly the familiar
declarations which have so far made
ali conversations useless.
There is then no large basis for nope
that the new conference at Spa Will
lead to immediate improvement In the
world situation. We are face to face
every day with the fact that there
can be no readjustment in the world
either politically or economically un-
til the German resumes a place among
the nations Of the world. With Ger
many and Russia outside the existing
order, 1t is in reality not order. but
disorder. Yet no sooner is there an
effort made to find some adjustment
than the nations which seek such an
adjustment encounter the two blank
walls, which are Russia and Ger
many, az they exist at the present
moment.