Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-09
BY FRANK H. sIMONDs.

States and Great Britain, in their eager
ness to get back to business relations
with Germany, profitable for them. have
shown complete willingness to close
their eyes to the needs and perils Of
France.
All the discussion in Britain, which
had its echoes in the United States, OF
the need of modifying the terms Of the
tons proposed were at the expense Of
France and have had their effect in Ger
many. The present defiance Of the
French prohibition Of any violation Of
consequence Of the German interpreta-
! ton of Anglo-American sympathy with
the Germans and support Of the sug-
gestfons Of a modified peace settlement.
German Military Gang Controls.
German military forces remain in the
control OF the old military gang The
most vital concern for this Prussian
following the precedent OF Prussia at
Jena. But under the provisions of the
treaty Of Versailles q reduction Of the
| army should take place In the current
welcome the Ruhr disorders are bless
ing for the military party. This leads
naturally to the suspicion that the mill
tafy party had two strings to its bow
in its recent counter revolution.
Indeed, 1t may appear later that the
object Of the Kapp stroke was not to
seize control Of the government. but
merely to incite disorders which
would supply an argument, the old
argument Of bolshevism, to defend the
maintenance Of the German army at
its present enormous strength. For
the militarists there Is just one issue
now. to save the army. Unless there
were some new justification all the
allied nations would combine to force
the reduction OF the army. but the
British and American fear Of boil
shevism is still so acute that the Ger
mans have calculated that 1t can be
turned to their advantage and the
army saved, If only there is q sem
blance OF bolshevism in Germany.
Allies Afraid Of BolsAevfsm.
The fact is that France IL afraid
Of German militarism. and Britain.
and in a measure the United States,
is still shaken with apprehension over
the French are insisting that the
Germany army be reduced, the British
\ are quite willing to see the German
army maintained, at least until there
is no more danger Of German an
| archy. But the French see quite
British apprehension to postpone de-
mobilization Indefinitely, until the
time when they can resist 1t openly.
Thus allied policy comes to chaos.
1t is pr,posterous to chargs the
French with militarism at this mo-
ment. What has actually happened Is
that American and British policy has.
| for reasons Of obvious self-interest,
decided that the real danger in Ger
many is bolshevism. not Prussianism.
| that the peril comes from the militar-
istic direction. Thus France Is acting
| to compel the reduction of the Ger
man army and the maintenance OF the
treaty of Versailles and necessarily
! she has to act alone.
| To take an obvious parallel. the
! British at the present time have con-
| centrated very great forces In Ireland.
| because they feel the security OF their
empire Is menaced In that quarter. II
nit the Sim Fein to occupy Dublin
and, in fact, to control Ireland, alleg-
| ing that the real danger to Britain
came from the Obstetrics and not the
Sim Fein. the situation would be
about what exists in Germany. with
the American and Britain urging the
French to permit the junker elements
| to keep control Of q great army and to
invade the prohibited areas.
OF course, in such a situation, the
British government would reply that
it must be the Judge Of its own condi-
tions. that 1t must be permitted to de-
eide from what direction 1t was men
aced But this is precisely what the
Germany 10 the Immediate menace.
And in Germany they see the deadly
merrill comes from the Prussian mil
itarists, not from the radicals of the
Ruhr. They perceive that II Germany
can escape reducing her army. by us
ing the plea of bolshevisn1. She Will
continue to use the plea and multiply
the evidences of this red danger.
what France Asks.
| The French case is then. quite SIM
ple, France asks that the German
army be reduced. az the treaty OF
Versailles provides. She insists that
the neutralized areas remain neutral
ICED or that German invasion OF the
Ruhr shall be counterhalanced by
French occupation of Frankfort as
guarantee Of ultimate German with.
drawal from tho Rhine area: she de-
mands the coal. without which her
industries must suspend. exactly al
| tho Germans planned when they wreck
| ed the Lens coal area during the war.
Since her a1liee will not help her.
France 10 resolved to act alone. NO
French government could do less and
live. In this case the government 10
not leading, but being forced by
French public sentiment into . course
which all Frenchmen regard - alone
calculated to protect French interests
and French eafety Had the allies Of
France been q little more sympathetio
and . little less selhshly occupied
with their own commercial intereess
have arisen, but since 1t has arisen
French action has been logical and
inevitable.
Copyright. 1890. Mcclure Newspaper syndieste.)