The New York herald., 1921-01-02
by A. G. GARDINER.

by A. G. GARDINER.
Formerly Editor of the London
'DniIy News.v
Special Cable to THE NEW York HERALD.
Copyright, 1891, dD THE NEW YoRK HERALD.
LONDON, Jan. 1.--There is at last one
beam of light on the dark landscape
of European affairs this new year.
hear that the last obstacle in the way
of a trade agreement between England
and Russia has been overcome, that
the final terms are now being ar
ranged and that new understanding
will speedily be in operation This
marks profoundly significant stage
in the development of European
events. 1t is the first important check
the French policy has sustained.
1t is now fully two years that Eng
land has been half heartedly coquet-
ting with the idea of peace with Rus
sia, while France has been whole
heartedly pursuing a policy of war
with Russia. The French have had
powerful hackers in the English press
and in the Government itself. where
Mr.. Churchill, Secretary of state for
War. has openly flouted his chief (Pre-
mier Lloyd George) both in speech and
action and has spared no efforts to
make peace with Russia impossible.
But events have been too strong for
the warmongers, and a trade agree
ment with Russia would seem near
at hand. The humiliating failure of
Wrangel- gave the knockout blow to
their schemes and the grave industrial
depression here has completed their
discontinue. fancy also that the
disclosure of the Washington b. Van
derlip negotiations with the rulers Of
Russia had an important influence at
the end They showed that the policy
OF blockading Russia was up and that
if we did not make terms with that
country other nations would and that
our position would be politically shame
full and economically disastrous.
French Policy CoIlapses.
Under these circumstances the
French policy. in so far as England
was concerned, collapsed. What the
effect in France will be will rapidly
appear. For the present there is no
disposition in Paris to be civil to Rus
sia, for Wrangel is still in favor there
and the bouleversement in Greece has
been seized on as means of making
friends with the Turks in order to use
them against Russia. But this last is
a forlorn hope which is not expected
to have weighty consequences, and
the general belief is that trade agree
Hat v,,o 10
would inaugurate new orientation in
Europe and undermine the basis of the
French policy throughout the Conti-
nent. -es
But this ray of hope she'd over the
European desolation does not extend
to Ireland, where the Christmas season
has been marked dby succession of
those tragedies with which the world
has grown familiar. 1t was at least
hoped that martial law throughout the
island would stop the worse scandals
associated with the methods Of the
t'Black and Tans," but there is little
evidence of change of spirit, and the
savage sentence, against the Freemdn's
Journal (of Dublin) practically means
the Suppression of the last rag of lib
erty left TO the press.
But If the situation has not i'm
proved in Ireland itself, it has def
nitely improved in England. The La
Dor party, now fortified by the evil
dence obtained by its deputation sent
to Ireland to investigate on behalf Of
labor the situation obtaining there,
has entered the field with all it's guns
against the Government. The confer
encc held at Westminster this week
and which was addressed by leaders
OF the Labor party and members Of the
deputation to Ireland framed crush
ing indictment OF the Governments
policy and a sensational exposure of
its methods.