Evening star., 1921-10-30
Treaty to Protect France
Suggested as Aid to Peace

not be completely withdrawn, even
though peace has been established
between this country and Ger
many.
X X
How can conditions in Europe
as this state of mind, which may
reflect a real condition, exist be-
tween France and Germany? What
hope of peace or of normal trade
is to be entertained so long as ami
mosities are backed up by arma-
ments such as CZechOslovakia,
Poland, Hungary and Rumania
maintain? Czechoslovakia, with
only fourteen million inhabitants.
has a standing army of 10000
men. Poland has an army of 200
900. The economic situation of the
world depends upon the settlement
of the military and naval program
of the world.
Thus the conference soon to be
held at Washington is of transcen-
dent Importance to the peace and
to the business world. 1t will not do
merely to tell France and Germany.
with their aee-old hatred of each
other, that there is no danger. The
ina agined as well as the real cOndi-
tion must be considered.
4 = :: \
Accompanying the Versailles
treaty, when it reached the Sem
ate of the United States. was an
other treaty, which had been ne
gotiated between this country and
France. This treaty promised that
until the United States entered the
league of nations. and until the
territorial integrity of France
against external aggression had
been guaranteed by the league the
United States would go to the as
sistance of France in the event
that Germany sought again to
make war upon her A similar
treaty between France and Great
Britain was negotiated What
greater proof is needed of genuine
fear by France of future military
aggression against her on the part
of Germany? Her asBnt to the
Versailles treaty. which left Ger
many intact. was granted only by
reason of the triple alliance.
Conditions have not changed for
the better since then. 1t will help,
of course, to reduce the naval cs-
tablishments of the world. but
the real redress to people who are
suffering from the cost of prepara-
tion for future wars will be found
in the limitation of the military
establishments of the world.
Let us not be deceived: a real
cloud lowers over the coming con-
ference because of the situation
between France and Germany. 1t
may burst into a cyclone and
sweep the conference into oblivion.
May God forfend, Such a catas-
trophe would not only leave the
world burdened with armament ex-
penditureS and impede, perhaps
DeFlHdutHliS, TeSiOrdliol OIL nor
NAL conditions of peace and buSi-
ness, but it would destroy the
hope that has sprung up in the
nations of the world.
X y !:
am we'll aware that there is a
singular distaste to America hav-
ing anything to do with the poll
tics and diplomacy of Euopean
governments. Yet ] make bold to
suggest that the cloud which
threatens the success of the con-
ference may be lifted by Great
Britain and America guaranteeing
France against German aggres-
sion. We might be compelled to
keep the promise, but men who
live by probability will agree that
a mere statement of intent will
have much the same effect that
declaration of the Monroe doc
trine had.
The treaty, which accompanied
the Versailles treaty died of inani-
tion. when the Versailles treaty
met its death. A similar declara-
tion by the Congress of the United
States would probably result in a
workable plan by the conference
for the limitation of armaments.
Such a declaration would. in my
opinion. prevent any war worth
speaking of 1t would pave the
way for reductions of armaments
and their future limitation. This
would place the economic world
on it's feet, and save to the Amer
lean people a half billion dollars
a year.