The New York herald., 1921-01-18
France at a New Verdun.
Fall of the Leygues Cabinet Due to
Germany's Failure to Pay.

NJ Leygues has been turned out Of
office because he has lost the confidence
of the French Chamber of Deputies
through real or suspected weakness in
dealing with Germany. The fact not
adequately appreciated in the two Eng
lish speaking countries Is that for near
ly two years, ever since the draft
ing Of the Treaty of Versailles and
particularly since it's ratification.
France has been growing more and
more impatient over the failure Of Ger
many to pay and the apparent readiness
of Great Britain to find excuses for
German failure and arguments for a
mitigation of the terms OF the treaty
itself.
France has expended in the past two
years no less than 25,oOo.OO0.OO0 francs
in reconstruction in the devastated
areas and the work is not yet half done.
She has not received a penny from Ger
many on this account and ahe has been
obliged to pay Germany for the coal
delivered under the Spa convention.
Moreover, the Germans have failed TO
comply with the disarmament clauses
of the treaty.
There is an impression, very gen
eral impression. In France that Ger
many is escaping from the terms of the
Treaty of Versailles and expects to
avoid any real reparation payment. A
thousand little incidents serve to COM
plicate q situation in which the major
facts are unsatisfactory enough from
the French point of view.
Now one OF two things may be ac-
cepted as inevitable In the German sit-
uatlon Either the Germans will pay
and begin to pay in some measure with
in a relatively short time or we shall
see the French army used to COM
pei payment. German policy is frankly
based upon the assumption that the
United States and Great Britain. hav-
ing commercial interests in the German
recovery, will intervene TO prevent
French action.
For the American and the British
public the Germans. are working the
Bolshevist danger for all that IL is
worth. and much more than II is really
worth. both to preserve a portion OF
their army and to avoid payments an
kind or in money. But unless all signs
fail Germany Is making another OF
those miscalculations OF which she made
so many during the world war. When
all is said and done neither Great Brit
ain nor the United States can restrain
France IL the French Government finally
determines to take action, to use her
troops 20 collect her just dues.
This is true for two reasons first. be-
cause both the British and the Anieri-
question and In both countries France
has an enormous number of sympathiz-
ers secondly. because neither Great
Britain nor the United States has any
method of restraining France II she de-
cides 10 act. Moreover. while both the
American and the British public is d-
vlded there is not the smallest division
IN the French nation. The defence OF
the Treaty OF Versailles has taken on
for France exactly the character OF the
defence Of Verdun. and the world can
still recall the tenacity with which the
French defended the Meuse citadel.
Germany conducted the war In
France with the deliberate purpose to
put the French Industrial machine out
OF commission and thus remove French
competition with German manufactures.
she calculated that the time necessary
for French recovery would be sum
cIently long TO allow Germany TO get
possession of the foreign market served
by France When she saw herself
beaten she surrendered to save her In
dustrial plant Now she is setting that
into shape and is ready to do business.
while France is still struggling, with
out German contribution. to restore her
own plant.
Given this situation il is perfectly idle
to suppose that the French will permit
the Germans TO succeed at their game.
This would be to let Germany win the
war. France has the power inherent in
tho only nrst class army In the world at