New-York tribune., 1921-11-26
Private Quarrel Represents
Chronic Condition; At
Duel Stage Statesmen
Always Dine Together
Hughes Retains His Calm
Capitals Most Serious Limi.
tation, Simonds Says, Is
on Its Sense of Humor
BY Frank II. Sinonds

occupy the headlines and more or less
dominate the gossip of the WASH lngton
conference, there are three essential
facts which must be recognized: First,
that the Anglo French quarrel is ori-
vate, that is, not open TO volunteers !;
second. that it represents q chrome,
not critical, condition, and, thi~a,
that it is not going to affect material
ly or seriously the progress Of the
present gathering at the American cap
ital.
Ever since the armistice, all through
the Paris conference and with ever
increasing bitterness in all the con
ferenees OF ambassadors which have
followed the Paris gathering. Anglo
French differences have been cropping
up. French and British necessities,
interests and policies in Europe are
radically different and frequently con-
Aict. But it is worth recalling now
that the French and the British have
dwelt together in neighborly enmitv
without armed conflict for more than q
century, and in Britain's only two
European wars in that time she has
been associated with France as an
ally.
Both Seek American Support
1t was natural and perhaps inevitable
that England and France, coming here
to the Washington conference. should
both desire American support for their
respective policies and that some OF
the journalists on both sides should
eagerly seek to enlist American sup
port and resort 70 attacks upon their
neighbor as a means to this end.
The result has been perfectly simple
The British journalists have attacked
the French army, and the French jour
nalists in due course of time, sup
ported by the French Prime Minister
have resorted to a suggestion of the
revival of the naval armament ques-
ton as a counter offensive to the Brit
ish attack. This counter offensive has
been so successful that British nerves
have been disturbed quite as much as
were French nerves over the criticism
of the army. There you have it. the
bottom fact in the situation. Before he
went away M. BRAND said fatty that
no French desires in the matter ot
naval strength, submarine or otherwise
would be permitted to interfere with
Mr.. Hughes's navy plan.
AS for the British official attitude a:
contrasted with the course of some o.
the British journalists, but by NJ
means all of them, it has been gener
ously correct from the beginning. Mr.
Balfour is an undisputed friend o.
| France. His remarks following NJ
Brands great address were more thar
a literary or an oratorical effort. They
were q genuine expression Of sympa
thetic emotion and downright friend
ship.
Some Justice in French Claims
The French discussion of naval con
ditions has a measure of justice in it
I When the war came France was en-
gagged jim transforming her navy ant
had certain number of capital ship!
building or on the way. She wa!
! obliged then to stop the construction O.
all her ships and use all her steel frs
to munition her own guns and later t,
supply American artillery, also. Th,
result was that the end of the war sav
!. her reduced to nothing as nava
power, while the United States, Japa1
and Great Britain had throughout tn
war expanded their navies rapidly an,
greatly. The point which the Frencl
make is that it is not fair to them t.
take their present status as d basis TO
reckoning their future strength by com
parison with other countries.
This, however, is merely an academi
exercise, since the French do not in
tend to build capital ships, primaril
because they lack the money. AS t
the submarine episode, it was Nj
Hughes who suggested the submarin
as a weapon of defense. When Nj
Balfour appealed from the Amesica
decision and asked to have the sut
marine abolished, the French saw
move in the game and promptly cam
in on the American side. The British
who cared very little about the Amer
can submarine, at once took alarm owe
the French.
But the important fact in ali thi
row is that the English and the Frenc
have been in state Of mutual SUI
picion, distrust and worse for Ion
time, and that for centuries ther
has been groundwork of misunde1
standing between the two countries, az
centuated by rivalries and in the pas
emphasized by war.
Curzon Speech Unduly Accented
A good deal too much Importance
now ascribed to the Curzon announce
ment in London, which was net, hay
reason to believe, suggested by til
British delegates in Washington G
necessarily in accordance with the d,
sires of that delegation. What is mali
" disturbing Lord Curzon is that til
French have made bargain with K,
NAL Pasha, whereas the British al
backing Greece in the Near East. Tn
French in Syria have a common frontie
with the Turks and want peace at a
most any price. They dislike Kin
Constantine from OF old, and they al
intensely bitter and jealous over Br
ish supremacy at Constantinople B,
this is nothing more or less than al
other characteristic European QUAR-
over respective interests and witho,
the. smallest suggestion of moral valt
on either side.
The Anglo-French quarrel is not o.
ing to disturb the Washington confe
ence seriously because the French ar
British representatives here apprecia
perfectly that the American people wi
hold them both equally. responsible
the conference is wrecked or even in
paired by this squabble. We had almo
exactly the same kind of rumpus
) Paris over Syria. 1t went on fo, da,
, and led TO every kind Of recrimnatior
: it poisoned the air and depressed IL
atmosphere and made endless troubl,
and in the end Anglo-French interes
were compromised and we had an a
preXimate settlement without al
|, trouble. At the duel stsge, French al
= British statesmen Invariably 30
'. dinner together, leaving the innoce,
y American observers hopelessly b
' wildered.
The main difficulty at the moment