The Washington herald., 1921-04-03
Sees Germany Spell Own
Doom in After-War Policy
Simonds Thinks French Invasion of Former
Empire Certain Unless Teutons Have
Change of Heart.

pelled to migrate or perish by star
walton. Today we have arrived at
the situation where, unless there be
a change swift and still unforeseen,
somewhere between 100000 and
20, ,OOO, 900 Germans must emigrate.
In anaHzing the situation which
has thus developed, IL Is essential to
go back for a moment to the cir
cumstances of the war and OF the
period which has followed the sign
ing of the armistice and of the
treaty of Versailles. The war was
the result of the unprovoked attack
OF Germany upon her French and
Russian neighbors, in the course of
which she destroyed Russia and
crippled France for long years. The
single chance for French recovery,
on the finsncial side. has lain and
still lies in the capacity and will
ingness of Germany to meet the
reparation demands fixed in the
treaty of Versailles and subsequent
iy modified in the several confer
ences.
French Policy.
On the morning of the armisticc.
on every day since. French policy
has heen perfectly clear A restored
Germany was bound to be a peril to
France. since a strong Germany hao
twice. in 1870 and in 1914. attack ed
the French nation without warrant
and for the purpose of removing the
French obstacle to German domina-
ton on the continent of Europe.
France would only consent to such
restoration of Germany as would
make the old danger new, provided
Germany met the French demands
as to reparation, and provided also
the recent allies of France Joined
her in disarming Germany and keep
ing Germany powerless. both by
supervising her armaments and by
guaranteeing French security.
Now. looking back over the span
of more than two years, II is clear
that the French conditions have not
been met. Germany has so far paid
nothing, save as she has been COM
PEELED to make deliveries of arms
ships and materials which she
could not conceal or withhold. She
has evaded and defied her con.
querors. While France has marched
steadily toward fiscal ruin, as a
consequence of the burden laid upon
her to repair German devastations
while French as well as British
taxpayers have groaned under tho
burden of new imposts. the Ger
man has escaped foreign payments
and avoided home levics.
Germsn Victory.
By the time the recent confer
, ences OF Paris and London arrived
the situation had developed In
which It was not longer doubtful
that unless some new policy were
adopted Germany would issue from
the war victorious. since she would
have achieved the fiscal ruin of heI
| French antagonists, as she had al.
I ready produced the political ruiz
OF Russia. while her British foe
would be crippled and threatened
by German competition which
would mean something approaching
disaster for the United Kingdom
| Meantime what was the develop.
ment of French policy? Following
the German attack and the allied
victory, toward which France haC
made the greatest single contribu.
ton and In which French sacrific,
had been largest. il lay with Franc,
/ to decide whether Germany shoulc
: ~ oO NNoAh win 40 W prevent lnt
peril of a new German attack, OF
permitted to regain her old pros
| perity, with the hope that in tn,
meantime German purpose would
| change and with the certainty that
German payments would be made.
Duty of France.
a good deal OF nonsense has beef
written about the whole European
situation, but il was manifest tha
! ii was the duty of French states
manship to provide against an.
new German attack, whether sucl
provision should carry with il tn,
destruction of contemporary Ger
many or not In the performanc,
of this duty French statesmanshi,
could only weigh the interests o
France. They could only consen
to run risks with respect to Ger
many, provided they were assured
Of German payments and of tn,
protection of their allies.
Now without going back over tn,
progress of events since the armis
tice of Rethondes, the fact stand
out that the prospect of Frencl
realization on German payment,
/ hdo Will edcn succeed
ing month. There is less chanc,
now of French recuperatio,
through German reparations tba,
| at any moment since the end of tn,
war. Exactly in the same fashio,
the prospect of an Anglo-America,
or an English guarantee OF Frencl
| security has similarly declined
France today faces the moral Ger
tainty that Germany won't paw an,
the actual certainty that her for
mer associates will not undertaI,
to defend France If, Germany doe
attack later.
French Question.
Therefore the French people bay
to ask themselves the simple cues
ton: "Since Germany won't pa,
us, our allies won't protect US an,
Germany will attack us, when sh
can, why should We let German,
recover to the point where she viii
be able to attack" So far no ON
| CONTINUED ON PAGE TEN.
Il