Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-25

combat. the treat river has acq'lred
much Of the value which ~ poessssth ~
the Roman times, when with the Danmot'
it was maintained for 20 many centurief
as the frontier of the Latin world.
Yet Il FRANCE and Belgium occupy ne
left bank Of tie Rhine n new Algace-l1of-
rsine IS unmistakabiY created, Euro pean
peace is menaced by problem quite ~
thorny as that which contributed largeiJ
10 provoking the recent conflict. 40 ohe
can believe that tie Germans viii pernan-
entity consent 20 foreign occupation o.
Cologne, Mayencc, Cobienz We shall
have German war 0f liberation ger
Grafton hence, just al We had a France
German war less than half q century after
the iniquty of the Treaty u Frankfort,
which mutilated France
How then IL one 70 solve the problem
The dilemma is clear To permit re-
vengeftl and warlike Germany ~ dom
mate both sides Of the Rhine II 20 expose
France and Belgium 70 a new attack ike
that Of 1914 70 take from Germany the
left bank of the Rhine from the Lauter -
the Dutch frontier, is ~ insure that
henceforth Germany will be Sled with .
spirit Of revenge and ultimately dominat-
ed by military impulse growing out of
sense Of wrong.
within the Treaty Of Versailles there is
n measure Of protection for France IN the
! creation of q neutral district on either
bank of the Rhine But it wac this haf
+ way protection which was challenged
I when the Germans sent their trOOps ntG
i the Ruhr district The French answerwss
I the occupation Of Frankfort. with the
I evacuation Of the RuhT, the Frenchhaver
+ retired from the main city and hinE
stand again where they stood befor n
/ wot incidents.
/ B1t ID ifidle to suppose that they car
/ permanently remain IN the present sit'ia
/ tlon. We must expect q new Germany ~
/ fresh alliance against Germany guarantee
{ ing France and Belgium against rrpeit
ton Of recent events. Failing eIfheT III
shall have q prolonged French occIipaflof
Of the Rhine, justified BY German noui N
fulment Of essential portions of the ! res =
Of Versailles. France and Belgium mus
find assurance in q new German spirit r
have recourse 10 their own or allied strergt
and either II the latter ways promise
uerpetlIation Of the evils Of the last tnrs
decades.
French Chauvinisrn, French desires for
German territory, are insignificant d9talI
in the problem Of the Rhine i the frencrf
people finally assume at the heavy rlsk
incident to the occupation Of the lei
bank ii the Rhine beyond the perio1
fixed hv the Treaty Of Versailles. 4 will a
because the Germans on the one hand anf
the British and Americans on the other
have left France with no other escape an'
for the great mass of Frencimen. th'
course viii be viewed with Utmost ap
prehension and repugnance-
The present evacuation of Frankfort
Is one more clear evidence Of good faIth q
the French part. one more demonstrate
that military action on the part oi Franc
Il still without political design. But. n
the other hand, the occupation 81 Erans
fort was an unmistakable and neeessar
. demonstration both 70 the Germans AL
10 the British, that France. ana bei0luF
~ we'll would not passiveiy sllbmIt (
! policy which threatened their safety an
weakened the single remaining BARRE
against German attack, that supplied K
the Treaty Of Fersallies.