Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-05
POLES with MISSION"
NOT HALTED BY u. S.
Only One Achievement Can Justify Con-
tinued Warfare, and That the Over
throw of Russ Reds.

such definite assurances from larger
powers of Europe. that they can well
rest on the assumption that 1t makes
little difference whether the United
States agrees or disagrees 50 long as
the one main Franco-Polish purpose
is realized And the Poles figure they
are closer to the problem and can
see with clearer vision than officials
in Washington.
The ease with which the great task
may be achieved depends much upon
how well the bolsheviki are able to
reorganize their shattered armies If
! the reds can make some show Of
strength on either or both fronts
before the winter sets in, or
before the Riga peace parleys have
progressed far, they have better
chance of maintaining themselves.
IT the bolshevist armies continue to
lose it is expected. in view of ap-
preaching winter. that the reds will
fasten their efforts to effect an agree
ment with the Poles and their degree
of conciliation will be more marked
than if their situation is not pressing.
II the Poles halted on their ethno-
logical frontiers and refused to press
on, leaving this burden wholly to
Wrangel, the reds would have little
a mnnana in ,,n meeting the southern
Wrangel movement is admitted, even
by its friends, to be in the process
Of proving its power, and until the
french have given further assistance
there may be some doubt attached to
its chance of success.
Franco-Hungarian Agreement.
That France is pressing home her
policy of obtaining domination of the
Slavic countries of eastern Europe
is further indicated by the purport-
ed economic and financial alliance
with Hungary. Paris denies that ac-
tual agreement has been reached, but
Paris does not deny the fact that
discussions between the Quai d'Orsay
and Budapest are under way. This is
significant.
Should France effect understand
ings with Hungary the great link in
the Danube confederation would be
furnished and domination of all east
ern Europe would be within Frances
horizon, for already the ties between
France. Rumania. Jugoslavia and
Czechoslovakia are strong. The only
menace to the already existing eco
nomic. financial, as well as political.
understandings between several of
the smaller nations and France has
been Hungary. which ever has insist
ed that it could not live without the
surrendered territories in Transylva-
mia and Slovakia. Hungary likewise
has been in constant dispute with
Serbia over territories awarded to the
latter by the Paris peace treaties.
and has openly threatened to usher
in new wars in central Europe.
With Hungary appeased and made
an integral part of the Danube con-
federation and in working agreement
with other countries all under French
influence, France not only stands
chance of dispelling danger of further
turmoil, but at once removes millions
of people from Teutonic domination,
peoples who might be used in future
years to menace French control in
eastern Europe.
With the Danubian confederation
effected and steered by Quai dOrsay
there is little likelihood that the
safety Of France. in so far as eastern
Europe IS concerned, ever will be
hazarded-
England Faces Trouble.
England more than ever is feeling
the pressing need of complete eradi-
cation of the bolsheviki, for there Is
every indication that the British po-
sition in Mesopotamia. Persia, Al
ghanistan and even India. will grow
increasingly difficult if the bolsheviki
continue to reign in Moscow. Bolshe-
vik agents have been clever in recon-
CLING their own doctrines with those
of Islam. At least they have been
shrewd in bringing the average Mo-
hammedan to the belief that his be-
liefs are not in conflict with those
advanced by Moscow. AS a conse-
quence the reds have shown increas-
ing strength throughout the Islamic
world. and British forces in Mesopo-
tamia and elsewhere have stif work
ahead of them II they prevent the
complete undoing of what has been
accomplished since the war closed.
The British position is not in the
least bettered by the allies efforts to
pare up Turkey and arbitrarily place
Syria, Smyrna and Anatolia, not to
speak Of Turkish Thrace, in the i'm
mediate hands of Europeans-inter-
ests apparently antagonistic to the
perpetuation Of Islamic tendencies and
beliefs. Even a great portion of the
Arabs. the peoples most likely to pre-
vent concerted holy war. are running
decidedly counter to the desires of
France, England and Greece in the
near east. and unless the situation is
handled in diplomatic fashion not only
England but all of the allies with
interests in the near east will find po-
sitions almost untenable. England's
promise to Egypt of an autonomous
form of government may go far to-
ward alternating the perplexing is
sues, being an example to other Mo-
hammedan peoples as. to what they
may expect from England in the fu-
ture, but this is purely conjectural.