The Washington herald., 1921-03-13

mains the same. that this coercion
will prove an expensive luxury fol
the British, even II no British troop,
are used in the operation. It will
prove expensive becauSe It win au.
tomatically reduce the value of tho
German market and IL. As IL posi-.
BILE, there be domestic disorders In
Germany. following the new occu.
patton, the loss to the British will
be still greater.
Behind this question of trade lies
the larger problem Of political un.
rest. The whole of Middle Europe
as I have SO often pointed out in
these articles. is in a state of un-
stable equilibrium. l do not believe
the German propaganda argument,
about Germany going Bolshevist'
have much basis in fact. but 1t 1:
true that these arguments have OBJ.
tained measurable credance IN
Great Britain and will. in the end
exercise a restraining influence.
Moreover. there. remains the ques.
tion of the United States. So far
the German has totally failed in OBJ.
tanning the support which he ex-
pected from the British. thanks to
his own stupidity. He has miscal,
culated the British temper, quite as
completely as he misjudged It in
July, 1914.
Hopes for American Aid.
But he has still a fond hope. a
hope which has a tremendous value
IN his own mind, of enlisting Amer
ican aid. Indeed, the mere fact that
Anglo-French relations have mo.
mentarily. at least become closer
gives him new ammunition for
American operations.
What the German expects to. do
is to exploit Anglo-American rival.
ry for German profit. 1t is not an
,exaggeration to say that. IN the
last analysis. It Is to US that he
looks for that decisive aid which
shall enable him to escape from the
consequences Of defeat and the
costs of his crimes. He believes
that the United States, with its vast
accumulation of raw materials
awaiting export. with its new prob
lens Of business depression, in part,
at least, due to the present unset
tied conditions in Europe. will ir
no long time seek to reopen the
necessary markets, whatever the
consequences
Seeing the unmistakabls Anglo
American rivalry of the present
hour. watching all the various in
cidents which have arisen in the
recent past, above all counting
upon the fact that the United
States has become a great creditor
nation and the inevitable rival OF
Great Britain in the world of trade
and commerce, the German hopes
by clever propaganda. by constant
appeal to American self-interest, to
American credulity, to the Anglo
phobia in certain quarters, to bring
US step by step to the point where
America will intervene in Europe
on behalf of Germany. to save our
to extend our influence. to
block our British rivals.
Game All in America.
The Germans game is all here.
He may not be able to separate
France from Britain, he has just
suffered q signal defeat in this
quarter, but even this defeat may
turn out q victory. II the drawing
together Of Britain and France
leads to an American counter-of.
fensive. To play US against. the
British, since We remain the one
great rich nation-this is the Ger
man design now and henceforth.
And 1t is essential for Americans
to perceive that, in any case, we
are only at the first stage of the
At the moment there is
as to whether Germany
shall pay up in thirty years or in
forty-two. But in either case one
must see that for decades Germany
will still be seeking, striving, plan
ming and maneuvering to escape
payment. We may accept 1t as
axiomatic that Germany does not
mean to pay, that she is deter
mined to escape all payment and
It most only to make such pay
nents as she cannot avoid after
some single maneuver has failed.
For thirty years. then, at the
east, we are to have these ever
crises. For thirty years,
With all the changing conditions of
political and economic life. Ger
many will remain outside the circle
II nations even remotely content
With their position.
Discord Her Chief Ain.
During all this time her policy
VIII be concentrated on the effort
o turn nation against nation, to
Itimu1ate international discord.
Granted that during all this time
he remains powerless to risk a
lew war, conceding-and IL il too
,reat concession, manifestly-
hat her weakness endures, that
lone of her neighbors, Russia, for
comes to her aid, we have
till to reckon on a resistance
which while passive is hardly less
'otent, with all that such resistance
must mean for the peace of the
world and above all for the eco
ionic order of the world.
More than this. IL again. as at the
'resent moment. situation arises
n which the Germans conceive that
france and Britain are separated, or
{ they presently conceive that
american self-interest can be ex.
'loited. we shall have a new crisis,
IN open refusal, new stimulation
II German passion, . new disorder
n the markets of the world, a new
low to slowly recovering trade and
Such an operation may
all, as has the recent demonstra-
Ion, but failure will still carry with
dangerous costs to all concerned.
In q word, Germany means to-
make the collection OF the debt ex-
,ensive beyond gil conception to her