The New York herald., 1921-06-05
Repetition of Great War Means
Destruction for Britain and Euro,e

Put the thing very simply. The British
want peace in Europe: peace because peace
is essential to their own domestic existence
let alone prosperity, since the closing of the
European markets brings ruin to British
industry. To obtain that peace they are
prepared to sacrifice Polish interests to
German, just they subordnated the in
terests of the small Balkan people to Turkish
when Turkey vital factor in British
foreign policy in the Near East. A continua-
uon OF present European unrest a repetition
OF the recent war any time in le next CEN
tury, means the ruin not alone of Europe
but of Great Britain itself
The French, on their part, want security
This security can be obtained only by the
construction and maintenance of Poland
sufficiently strong TO bridge the wide and
ever growing difference between German
and French population. France, therefore
must support and maintain all Polish claims
which have basis in right or a relation To
French necessities in the matter Of Germany
III Poland is crushed then France can no
longer maintain herself against Germany
save as the British consent to an alliance
and to an adoption of conscripton-and the
British will do neither.
AS for the Germans, they will not accept
Poland It has been constructed; they
would not have accepted any Poland which
contained territory included within
German frontiers, although stolen by Prus-
sian sovereigns in the past. And Poland
without such territory would be economic
ally first and politically later the mere
creature of Germany, which would hold the
Danzig gateway to the sea and possess all
the coal. or most Of il, which is essential to
the development of Polish industry.
There. in nutshell. is the real situation
with respect of Poland and the truth about
British and French policies This is the
chaos into which we Americans have just
come. after having stayed out of European
discussions for many. many months. IL you
read British newspapers you find great and
always increasing irritation with the French
because of their championship of Poland.
Stripped of all camoufiage this means that
Poland constitutes in British eyes danger
to world peace. possible occasion for
British participation unwilling;y in a
world struggle. It.is the fact of Poland that
the British with their unerring instinct i'm
foreign politics object to. because the fact
of Poland constitutes the greatest single
danger TO European peace henceforth far
as one can see.
Read the French newspapers. again elimi-
mating all the portions of the articles which
deal with moral and sentimental issues. and
1t will be seen that Poland is for France. the
cornerstone of the new Europe. and French
resentment at British policy. which has been
constant at the Paris conference and since.
grows out of the fact that, for the French.
Britain in her readiness to sacrifice Poland
seems in reality to be sacrificing France.
Actually European history to-day is be-
ginning to revove around n new pivot. New
alliances are taking shape, new policies are
coming to the surface, but most important
of all political questions accepting the repa-
rations dispute hencTorth economic.
which is a large 1ssumption--s the Polish
problem. Of which the Upper Silesian dispute
is only detail
Coppri0h. 1921. bp Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.