Evening star., 1921-05-01
HOURS NOW SHAPING
OLD-WORLD HISTORY
Events of Next Day or Two May Decide
Whole Course-German Capitulation
to Allies Believed Certain.

| given to Germany and that no restric-
tionS. such as export taxes. be placed
| on German Industries. these proved
unacceptable to the allies. particular
ly France.
| There is little question that Ger
many will have to pay a total of 226.-
! 00O.O0O.0OO marks. as agreed upon by
the supreme council in Paris, for the
, French nation will accept nothing
else The methods of payment. how
ever. are the chief stumbling blocks
! for the allies. for one system accepta-
BILE to the French might not meet the
approval of the British. and vice versa.
If Germany approaches the allies di-
rectly or indirectly with concrete pro-
poSals which form an adequate work.
ing basis and gives France adequate
guarantees for the sum total of rep
aratiOnS there is chance that in the
negotiations that follow there still
may remain radical Emergencies of
view among the allies. for the British
may see danger points, for London is
suspicious that France would hazard
| the whole of continental relationships
| through insistence on nationalistic
doEmas and political creeds. when
practically should be the keynote.
These dsagreements will only
| strengthen the hands of the French
militarists. who again will point to
Ito the futility of negotiation and de-
mand that Germany be made to pay
to the fullest. regardless of future
years. France wants reparations
blood, and this she will have. regard
not BRAND it will be Poincare or
some other stanch advocate of firm
ness. so Frances whole future course
on the reparations question is easy to
guess.
Policy Is Nntfonnlistic.
The French policy of the moment
justified in large measure. but never
frio flH- 1tx,t,
inspire lack of confidence among peo-
pies of other nations but which
through political eXpediency they
must back. is the French spirit that
outcropped throughout the Paris de-
alterations and which Lloyd Georpe
and President Wilson successfully
battered down for time. 1t is the
same spirit that brought forth one of
President Wilson's most cryptic re-
Dukes during the heated deliberations
in Paris.
The French approached President
wilson with wealth of arguments
as to why they should have the left
bank of the Rhine and territorial ad-
lustments such as would preclude
Germany from becoming menace,
and. as Wilson viewed it. would for
ever prevent Berlin from paying the
additional great sums of money in in
IDENTITIES which France considered
also necessary to heal wars wounds
and long. He argued for the policy
but so recently graphically enunciated
by Gen. Allen. who has served the |
United States on the reparations COM |
mission: You can't get milk from a |
cow which you have turned into beef
steak: The French grew petulant
that he should not be swept away by
the real pathos that then and always
has marked Frances claims.
MT PRESIDENT. you have a heart of
inr-
ly exclaimed.
Perhaps" replied the American ex-
ecutive. but / haven't the heart to
Steal.''
Little Sympathy for Grab.
Regardless of the pronunciamentos
in regard TO French claims. which !
IN IN large measure are just. it is a |
known fact that in the chancellories
OF Europe there is little sympathy |
for the French endeavor to grab ter
rltorial dominion. such as is resulting
through each new incursion of allied |
OF the whole matter rests not upon |
aitrulsm. but on a whole-hearte |
Jealousy of the France to be, if pres |
ent steps continue to be carried out
In London. Rome. and even Brussels. |
Il is realized what the future will |
hold if future incursions are con- |
tinued. and il is believed that even |
the Ruhr and Westphalian occupation |
VIII be but stepping stones to the |
seizure of other advantages which !
may in the future react TO the dis !
interest of other allies.~~But never |
theless. it is realized France is justi- |
fed in demanding the full need of |
reparations. even though the meth |
ods be Objectionable, and political |
alliances are such as to inspire the |
spirit of give and take. While the |
allies may witness France waxing
fat upon GERMANY, nevertheless it |
is expected that through barter the [
allies will receive concessions in other
directions. The disinclination of the |
allies to participate in further occu-
patton in large way to enforce the
treaty of Versailles. coupled with |
Frances ever readiness to do so. aids |
the latter in her purpose.
Real Interest Of Future.
The real interest of the future
rests not so much in how much
Germany will consent to pay. for that
is a foregone conclusion-it will be
what the allies ask-but it will be in |
how far France will go in the meth
DDS of collection and Germany's
strenuous efforts to pay. to that the
French clutch on the Ruhr and West
phalian regions may be loosened. 1t
is not believed that Germany will
permit the allies to remain in occu-
pied territory indefinitely. for there
are dangers of permanent tenure The
Ruhr and Westphalia once occupied,
Germany will Srive as she has never
striven before. and the reparations
will be paid. And possibly quicker
than France and England now expect
Y x.,t