Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-09
Public Opinion in France I'm
peIs Government to Press
for Sure Curbs.
BRITAIN NOW BREADS
INVASION OF THE RUHR
Believes Former Enemy Has
Reached Limit of Disarmament,
Either Possible or Desirable.
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1921.
PARIS, January 8.-Concerning the
forthcoming interallied conference on
the disarmament of Germany, an emf
nent French diplomat has given me
the following inside account of the
French and British points Of view:
1.-THE British in postponing the con-
ference from January to January
10 were moved principally by the
exigencies of the present unemploy-
ment crisis in Britain, which seems
grave. and also by a desire to await
the effect of the French senatorial
elections tomorrow on the Leygues
ministry. But. while the British are
ready to accept the idea of confer
ence, it is. nevertheless, certain that
Paris and London view the German
disarmament question in wholly diff
ferent ways. The French government
is obliged to take into account French
public opinion, which. as q whole. be-
lieves in the reality and even immi-
nence of the German military peril.
Most French observers foresee
bolshevist attack on Poland next
spring, and, being convinced that close
relations exist between the bolsheviki
and the Germans. they apprehend COL
laboration between the Russian and
German forces to break down the
eastern barrier which the treaty of
Versailles erected between Berlin and
Moscow. That is why the disarma-
ment of Germany seems urgent to
dare to neglect the force Of public
sentiment in this regard.
Danger Believed In Future.
However, it Is not certain that the
French general stag OF the French
government shares fully the fears of
the French nation. Official circles
seem to believe that from military
standpoint the German danger Is In
the future and not so much in the
present, yet both the stan and the
government consider it necessary to
dissolve all the German militia so as
tion. The bourgeois guards seem to
them a sort OF microcosm Of the old
army; they perpetuate its spirit and
they keep UP the sacred IRE for Z bet
ter day. The complete demilitariza-
ton Of Germany. however, would
break the chain and create q new
spirit.
Moreover. the French government
wants to preserve the efficacy of the
threats made at the Spa conference. II
the allies do not apply the solemnly
formulated penalties they will lose
prestige.
British Spirit DiAefent.
quite different seems to be the
spirit with which the British govern
ment is coming to Paris. In Britain's
eyes, German disarmament has al
ready reached the limit Of what is Ell
ther possible or desirable. Preoccu-
pied only with today. the British gov
ernment considers it sufficient that
Germany for the moment does not
constitute any danger of aggression.
The bolshevist peril. on the other
hand, seems to It far more pressing
and far more immediate.
THE British ambassador in Berlin,
who was delegated by Premier Lloyd
George last August to go to Warsaw.
has returned convinced that Poland
was saved only by a piece Of pro-
digous good luck: that the bolshevist
attack will be renswed: that neither
Poland nor Czechoslovakia is strong
enough to triumph, and that eastern
and northern Germany. Prussia and
Saxony can easily be won over by the
bolsheviki II order is not insured by a
sufficient military force.
.It is on Bavaria that this force of
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