The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-23

x malignant propaganda upon public senti-
ment in this country. Americans are 50 many
and Of many kinds that the fields are too
numerous for any one species of propaganda to
conquer. Then, too, the United States is far
of on side. and views thing, European from
great distance, and not as do those Of Europe.
who have to look neighbor to see the
next and who them all only as intimately
related to each other.
1t is this intimacy our people avoid and il
Is because of this detachment that it already has
been, and will be, possible to accomplish at this
conference what would have been beyond hope
in any European capital So it is that foreign
affairs are emphatically foreign" to Americans,
yet all of them who have followed war events
and those Of the past three years know quite we'll
the relations of Great Britain and France and OF
each of these to the rest of Europe. Moreover,
the British and the French quite well understand
each other. Their governments have not been
so close to the breaking point nor 50 often as
the correspondents love to picture. They are
absolutely essential to each other. They may
bicker and brow-beat, take sharp advantage and
ray bitter things, but they will not break while
world conditions a they are.
Great Britain's future is compressed in the
one word-trade; frances into that other word
safety The British are safe. They do not fear
attack but they must have trade to support their
3ense population and cannot wait much longer,
Me alternative being wholesale emigration. Trade
means the quick recovery Of Central Europe with
ks buying power. Reparations are Of no com.
parative consequence to Great Britain: trade
5 everything. She would trade with the Boil.
lheviki with the devil-and who will bame her!
France stands in the way of the rapid de-
velopment of this British trade. Her safety hes
n reparations and Germany kept busy turning
ne wheels to pour out these repayments for the
repair of the French and Belgian devastated
regions. 1t is to be observed, always, that Bel
GUMS position is identical with that Of France;
their policies agree absolutely They together
must take care of themselves. They know it.
Americans know it. They depend for help
upon no one else. Unless they recover faster
than does Germany and always better pre-
pared, they have good reason to fear tor their
ives.
Germany has not yet gained her independence
Of Prussia and Prussia has not changed This
u not alone shown by Lydendorf's three books
hom which n. BRAND quoted. Every German
prominent in the war in civil military serv-
Zee who has written of the war, and there have
been score of such books, has given every
reason but one, for her defeat. That one is that
The was wrong; that she went counter to the
eternal verities; that she exalted all that was
wrong and submerged what was right. She
ignored human rights and Righteousness, while
,he had no ambition not material and not ex-
pressed in term. Of material power and authority.
She is the only one of the Christian nations tina,
taught war blessing. as developing and
preserving in a people greatness OF character,
pourage and devotion to the state.
France has good reason to still feel in her
soul the iron of dread. The French Republic
tas never shown itself militant nor imperislist.
she was not prepared in 1914 and but for Ger
uany's evident military expansion would have
Aeon still less prepared. The great passion of
The French is devotion to France, not ~ =
government but as the possession Of her people.
they are the only people to whom their home
land stands in the feminine gender. 1t 10 ma
patrie," la Belle France" spoken with IN in
tensity of affection unknown with other nationals.
II is this France they would protect and mist
protect until at least Germany becomes in fact
democratic and ceases to remain still unrsdeemsd
Prussia.
1t wa. because Of her safety. Of the necessity
for sef-protection that France was determined
70 retain the Rhine states to the west bank Of
that river She only surrendered this right of
CONQUEST on the pledge, whose good faith she
had no reason to doubt and could not question,
of the tri-party treaty. This was the pledge Of
Great Britain and the United States to come to
her assistance IL German army ever again
crossed the Rhine with hostile intent. Our Sea-
ate refused to even consider this treaty. 1t has
never been reported out Of committee.
In the face of this fact it seems like inter.
national sarcasm that Briands address, which
as whole can but be an indictment Of Ameri-
can bad faith in this pledge, Is received with the
-tmos. sympathetic appreciation Of the position Of
france and a ready admission that she must have
/, large army. 1t seems to have impressed itself
IN no one that this is necessary only beeAase Of
he disregard of this moral Obligation. With that
pledge by Britain and America in eject. Ger
many would know and realize that this war was
her last war. Aiming secretly or qpeniy would
De useless, Nourishing revenge would be
hopeless.
France could long ago have reduced her army