Evening star., 1920-03-14
BRITISH STILL BELIEVE
IN u. S. COOPERATION
Mr.. Simonds Discusses European Tangle
and Causes of Split Among Allies
Who Foug hit Against Germany.

foundly wounded the French. whose
necessities compel submission. but do
not contribute to enthusiasm.
A coalition of the continent against
the Anglo-SaXon partnerhip is by no
means unlikely. or improbable. if the
United States shall now join with the
British in the realization of what was
actually the second policy of the
United States Senate. Thus, so far
from bringing about peace and a
league, We may bring about new
rivalry. a new system of alliances
another war
Many Americans have a simple faith
that if only the Senate ratifies the
treaty of peace the European compii-
cations will disappear. But this is
due 10 the fact that the European
complications are very little under
| stood in the United States. Actually
Europe is moving toward a new state
of balance. In truth, the European
nations are beginning to grope after
! new partners for the next dance.
france seeks partnership with the
liperated Slavs, Balkan and Polish.
against the German menace of the
future. against German expansion
along the Danube and across the Vis-
tula. =
! Italy seeks a new German alliance
against France and the Balkan Slavs,
who constitute for the Italians a bari
| rler to world aspirations. Poland,
who is the inevitable French partner
against the Germans. is similarly the
partner of the Italians against the
! Slavs, against the Serbs. The Gers
| mans and the Italians have a common
! interest in destroying the Slavs. Only
by seeing the new Slav states become
strong can France hope for any real
| security against the Germans.
British Oppose Old Order. .
The British are striving to prevent
the renaissance of this old system OF
alliances. They are seeking to COM
| promise everywhere, now forcing the
| Poles to yield, now the Rumanians,
supporting Italy in the interests ofGey~
man economic rehabilitation against
France and the French in moderatinG
| Italian claims in the Adriatic- But
| for it leads nowhere. except to general
| unpopularity without any compensate
| ing gain. -
| The British cannot retire from tho
| continent absolutely, because the de,
struction of France would bring GerS
many to the channel and bring Lon4
don under her guns, nor can they
| risk a possible adjustment between
Germany and France. which might
lead to an alliance against themselves
AN alliance which might conceivabiy
be forced upon France il she were de-
| prived of British backing in time OF
| real emergency. Thus. in the ennt
Britain is likely to be caught again
| in the mesh of European alliances ana
dragged into the next war. as she wa
into the last. by some dispute. which
| has it's origin in the Balkans or the
! Carpathians-
! The single escape for the British ia
! an Anglo Saxon partnership. This y
| the underlying fact in the preSehe
world situation .as it was the cardts5
nal circumstance in the Paris deltb1
erations. This is why it is. humaniH
speaking. impossible to convince Eng
lishmen that the United States is noS
now prepared for the partnership OF
for participation in international re-.
lations In the fashion the partnefS
ship would make inevitable. 20
British Position strong. -
| The partnership is not matter.
of life or death for the British. GER,
tainly. Their position in Europe tal
SO strong that they can exact almost,
any price for their alliance. but their
Europe a necessity. II America stays.
out of Europe. Russia, italy and Ger:
many, perhaps Italy, Rumanta. Aust
trian Germany and Germany. With
Bulgaria and Turkey. would constif
| tute a grouping Of powers SO strong1
| as to force Britain to join with
| France and the free Slav states. P0D
land. Czechoslovakia and Jugoslavia.
| to prevent a new war Of conquest.
] But once committed to such an ala
lance Britain would have to supporti
France on the Rhine. as she had to
| support France in Morocco fifteen,
years ago: she would have to support
| Poland. In a word, she would be
| caught in the European mess againss
just as she was caught the last time;
| with the result that she came within
sight of ruin and suffered losses. hn~S
| man and monetary. SURPRISING everyf?
thing in Britain history. in a coma
| fict which had its occasion In am
| aSSa Sqinafion in SeralevO,
The single alternative is the Angio@.
| American partnership. For 1t. actl
| cordingly. the British are prepared
| to pay almost anything. They were1
Wilson at Paris. They are ready and
! willing to join hands with the reAs
| publican majority. if Mr.. Wilson is
| not the authentic representative or
lea they can escape all Europea9f
| commitments, save those in when
America will freely join; they can
! rely upon American resources. ever
growing stronger. to fortify their po-
sition. 1 mean that 1t is inconceivaa
BILE that any new, European coalition
would venture to challenge the
United States by attackfg Britain.
More than this. with American CO.
| operation, they cannot fmpossibly pre-
| vent the development of new coali..
| tions. for a time at least. owing to
| the enormous economic force of the
| combined nations. ID
such is the present state Of the
/ European mess; such is the policys
we are asked to adopt by our British
| friends; such is the ultimate stage
| of the league Of nations idea It is
| in the light nf this situation, and,
| again CONNIE nd Lord Percy's state
ment Of it to my readers, that Amer~i
| ican policy must now be determined,
| for mere adoption or rejection OF the
| treaty will amount to nothing.