The Washington herald., 1922-01-22

10 NV SCNSCAHNd
stances affecting the German. He
simply and frankly wants to get the
German situation Strengthened out
because II means work for himself,
food for his family and a termina-
ton of three years of grave hard
ship following nearly five years of
agony incident to the war.
Needs Reparations.
Now the Frenchman's situation
is quite different. The absence of
the German market does not affect
him. He does not desire to sell in
the German market: he does not
need a restored Russia as a source
of cheap food. What he needs Is
the reparations sums owed him by
the German. II he gets them he
can pay the cost of rebuilding his
devastated area. the debts which
he owes his allies. and recorder his
own domestic financial situation.
There is absolutely no pront for
HIM to be found In the mere re-
storation of Germany to economic
health and prosperity.
Therefore, the Frenchman says to
the world and has said IL very
consistently from the moment of
the opening of the Paris confer
ence onward: IF Germany is to
he restored because the restora>
tion advantages Great Britain, the
United States, Italy. then restora-
tion must not be at the expense of
France. 1t is alleged that Ger
Nany has been asked to pay more
than she ran pay, We don't be-
lieve ii. Even you agree that Ger
many is willing to pay less ard
very much less than she can pay.
How are you going to guarantee
that she will pay anything that she
can get out of or protect France
from the German exploitation of
the English desire to get the wheels
of English industry turning again?
Germans Plotting.
Here you touch the third factor
in the situation, the German fac
tor. The German believes that he
can escape all payment because he
perceives that self-interest must
lead Great Britain and Italy-and
the United States only to a less
degree-to work for German eco
nomic rehabilitation. He Is resort
ing to every known device to re-
duce and evade his payments. He
Is seeking in every possible way by
propaganda and otherwise to in
fame English, italian and Ameri-
can opinion against France. He is
openly defiant where he dares, and
secretly plotting where defiance Is
inadvisable. He shows one face to
the Frenchman and other to the
Englishman.
Now there somewhat roughly
sketched you have the situation.
England urges upon France a pol
icy with respect to Germany which
advantages England and helps the
German, but makes no real pro-
vision for France. France advo-
Gates a policy toward Germany
which spells ruin for England.
hardship for Italy, and discomfort
for the United states. France asks
of her recent associates in the war
either that they leave her free to
act against Germany or undertake
to guarantee German performance
under the terms of the treaty Of
Versailles. So far II has proved
perfectly impossible to ind a basis
Of agreement or Of compromise and
the explanation is fairly simple.
1t Is found in the fact that Great
Britain and practically every other
nation which signed the treaty of
Versailles except France sees its
interests now from a different point
of view from what 1t did three
years ago.
French Rights Are Law.
The treaty of Versailles continues
to be law. Under the treaty of Ver-
sailles and in return for specific
concessions on the French part the
allies of France agreed that France
should receive certain things. The
sum total OF reparations was agreed
upon tentatively at Paris. 1t was
long delays and much discussion
and the French claims were there
fore sanctioned and the French
right to payment in the fixed amount
established as the law of Europe.
Now, Germany has become bank
rupt. 1t is probably true that the
sums fixed at the May conference
were excessive, but they were fixed
and today France occupies the po-
sition of a creditor with a just claim
and the power to enforce that claim.
But the truth is that IL she under
takes to enforce that claim not
only Germany but all of her recent
allies in the world war suffer. 1t Is
also true that resorting to force to
collect the claim will not and can
not lead to any large immediate
payment. France can occupy Ger
man territory; she can seize the
cities and mines. but she cannot
thereby increase the rate or the
amount of German payment. She
can accomplish in reality only one
thing. She can produce chaos in
Germany which may long retard
German recovery and thus long
postpone the day when France has
to fear the consequences of German
strength.
From the point of view of many
Americans France seems to stand
with a pistol at the head of the
world. Such was the common inter-
probation of her action in the matter
Of the submarine in the Washing
ton conference. What is not so
clearly perceived in America is the
TACT that the world appears to the
Frenchman to demand that his
country, which made the largest
sacrifice proportionate to her pop
ulation and her wealth in the COM
mon night against the German. shall
make the largest sacrifices now
toward the rehabilitation of Ger
many to the profit of her less Sc
Verely shaken allies.
interests Badly Tangled.
The French gesture is described
as one OF blackmail and the French
poilcy as one of hold-up. And such
cortinsed on Page Three.