Great Falls tribune., 1921-12-04
What France Feels.


What France Feels.
There is situation akin 10 this in
| France. She has the kind of feeling
for her army and weak central Eu-
rope that we have for our isolation
and our Monroe doctrine. They are
| convictions ingrained by centuries of
| war, usually defensive war; getting the
English out, keeping back the flood Of
central Europe. determined to reach
the sea. We express horror and sur
prise that these two national senti-
ments should have been SO strong at
Paris that they should have been able
to have done so much to have frus
trated the great code that the allied
nations accepted there; but go over
Frances battlefields from that of At
fila, in the fifth century, down to the
Marne in the twentieth and you'll have
better basis for understanding. There
are always reasons for these settled
national convictions however wrong and
unreasonable they may seem to the
outsider.
We were irritated with France in
Paris and we have been to less de-
gree here in Washington because we
have had no sympathetic understand
ing of the experience which makes her
so insistent on big land force and
weak and divided central Europe. But
as matter of fact she is simply cling
ing as we are. to those things which
through her national life she has come
to believe are best adapted for her pro-
lection.
France has been no more able than
we have to accept for her self-preser-
vation the principles Of security
through world co operation. The trou-
BILE with all of us at bottom seems to
be lack of faith in any agency for
governing international affairs other
than war and it's ally, secret diplomacy,
and unless out Of this great conference
there does come more faith in the suf
ficiency of an association of nations
this conference is going to be little
more than a vastly stimulating and
interesting discussion of certain prob
lens. 1t would be sorry business in
deed if we went away from this great
opportunity for helping a battered and
weeping world to stabilize and seal
itself, having done only those things
which required no deep cutting sacri-
flee on the part of anyone.
Forty Nations Not Represented.
What that would amount to would
be that the strong-the conference is
made up of the strong-will have made
things safer and more comfortable for
thmselves in the matter Of armament
that they will have arranged to help
China to her feet in such q way that
they each can do business with her
without cutting one another's throats.
That's a very substantial gain But
how about the rest, of the world?
There are nine nations here in Wash
ington and there are nearly 80 that
are not here. There are two whole
continents without representation. It
is not to be expected that there should
not be more or less resentment and
fear on the part Of those that are not
here for those that are. The echoes
of it every now and then cut sharply
through the loud chorus Of optimism
which daily arises-and rightfully, for
there is every reason SO far for op-
timism-for this conference. But if
Mr.. Harding's great objective "less of
armament and none of war" is to be
attained there must be more inclu-
sive arrangement for fixing up inter-
national troubles than we are yet
seeing in Washington.