Evening star., 1920-03-21
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.
HRESIDENT WILSON'S bitter
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the open charge that a mill
taristtc party was now in control in
the counsels Of France has its origin
| in the developments Of the Paris con-
ference, where he encountered the
demand Of France for security against
Germany. This security, for the pres
ent, as for every other generation of
, Frenchmen, is represented by the
Rhine barrier.
It Is an odd fact, characteristic of
both Anglo-Saxon nations, that, while
each is obdurate in it's insistence
upon the maintenance of those cir
cumstances which mean security for
1t. they can agree in regarding as
immoral similar demands by their
neighbors or allies. Thus the British
have from the very outset of their
supremacy of the sea, which was es-
sential to their existence az an island
I people, while the United States has
| more and more inclined to fortifying
the Monroe doctrine, which has the
same value. But at Paris the Brit
| ish and the Americans united to block
the French desire for the Rhine bar
rier.
Moreover. because Of the mainte-
| nance of sea supremacy, Britain has
| not been invaded in centuries, while
hA -,st TOD Il nII Cor
eign incursion, save in the case of the
British in the war of 1912. largely
because no European nation has had
adequate bases for such an operation.
| In 1865, when Napoleon Ill was seek
| ing to establish MaximiIian in Mex
| leo, the United States intervened per-
| emptorily and the result was the ex-
| ecution of Macmillan and the col
! lapse of the Napoleonic scheme.
| In the Paris conference. Britain.
\ which had taken the German feet and
all the German colonies, as a guarantee
| against any German menace to her, and
the United States, which, through Pres
| ident Wilson, demanded that the Monroe
| doctrine be recognized as the law of
the world, both promptly vetoed the
French demands for security at the
Rhine. France found herself after her
| other allied and associated nations.
| abandoned by her friends. at the su-
preme crisis.
France mt Conference.
In terms the French were told that
the league of nations was a sure guar
antee against German aggression.
But when the French sought to clothe
the league of nations with real power
by providing it with an active army
both the United States and Great
Britain objected and both nations en-
phasized their objections by prompt
ly withdrawing the great bulk Of
their armies which had been serving
in France, leaving the burden of the
task to France alone.
France then refused categorically
to resign the Rhine barrier. Clemen-
ceau acting with written opinion
of Foch in his hands, and a deadlock
resulted deadlock in which the Pres
| ident had recourse to the George
! Washington threat. Still the French
did not and could not yield. and the
President finally agreed to thai treaty
of insurance by. which the United
States and Great Britain promised to
| defend France if Germany attempted
a new invasion. Then the French
dropped the Rhine barrier claim. but
provisions, to hold the Rhine as surety
of German performance.
Now situation has arisen in which
the treaty of insurance has practical
ly expired. There is no hope Of its
Endorsement in the United States and
British approval was conditioned on
American acceptance. Thus the thing
taken by the French as substitute
no longer exists. Moreover, British
and american armies have been de-
mobilizec so rapidly that there is no
longer any considerable resource for
prompt reinforcement of the French,
even If the United States and Britain.
| without treaty obligation. should de-
eide to go to French assistance in
the face of q new German attack.
American Parallel.
If one cares to find an American
parallel for the French sentiment in
the matter of the Rhine barrier it is
easily to be discovered in the colonial
history of America. French rule in
Canada carried with it extreme and
continual menace to the British set
Elements in New England and in
New York, French and Indian raid
ing parties frequently descended the
Hudson and Connecticut valleys, and
during danger. AS a consequence the
| colonies practically demanded of
Britain the extinction Of French rule
| in CInada. But even before this, CO.
lonial sentiment demanded one re-
striction after another of French
territory, as a result of each war.
Now il was not militarism or i'm
periaiism which animated our ances
| tors, it was the desire for security,
! the necessity to escape from an in
| tolerable situation. out of which came
| frequent tragedies, the destruction of
settlements and the murder of col
onists. To imagine that the fnhabit-
ant of New England or of northern
| New York in the middle of the eight