Evening star., 1922-12-05

or reserve by Article 24S OF the treaty.
If we are driven to such measures we
something tangible at once. but should
| We have recourse to this policy?
France does not conceal from 'herseN
the gravity Of such decision. she
an extreme. but she cannot agree to her
bill being torn up entirely after already
having been considerably reduced. 1t
does not depend on her whether tne
idea Of seizure and sanctions shall pre-.
vail Or not prevail; 1t - a matter OF
good will on the side Of Germany and
Of determination. quite shortly, on the
side of the Allies.
Solutions Are Failures.
After a long and sustained enort.
nervous depression is inevitable. II
would seem that the peoples and gov
ernmen,e of the Entente lost the better
pa;t Of their energy once the war had
been won and peace concluded and that
they b. came only capable OF IMPROVE
sa alton. abandoned as lightly as elabor-
ated. I shall not retrace in detail the
national conferences since 1920: ! shali
agreed to. Under the pressure OF Eng.
land. France lent herself to all kinds Of
combinations even when these were
most prejudicial to her. What has re-
suited if not chaos? At each meeting
the negotiators. working out some new
formula. proceeded to make resolutions
which worked more harm than good
even for those Of the Allies who backed
such Re solut ions. even to Germany
whom they were intended to save.
There is no longer any united front
or continuity OF outlook. Before the vast
probe ms to be regulated the Allied rep
rcsen:stives have only been able to put
forward solutions that were no solutions
at all. because they were unable to rise
above themselves to look at the eitua-
tion in general and to march straight
in step and toward a common goal.
These economic difficulties would have
been surmountable II the Allies had fol-
lowed policy Of clearness and author
ity.
The instability. not to say incoher-
ence. Of Abe "principles" successfully
applied since 1920 have been the cause
Of the present chaos. Now the commits
sion Of reparatiOns is all-powerful: now
it is held in check or condemned to a
purely clerical role. Without an allied
protest. Russians and Germans. con-
voked to cooperate in thu work of gen
eral pacification. are permitted to sign
the separate Treaty of Rapallo under
the very nose of the allies.
Gold as Peace Menace.
The allies. now by their sterile asta-
ton. now by their inertia. have not only
played the German game. they have de-
prived the victors Of that confidence in
the present and that tranquility in re-
gard to the future which are so neces-
sary in building up the peace. The
Treaty of Versailles carries the sigma
lures Of twenty seven states. 1t was to
have been their charter. In openly dis
avowing it, or in trying indirectly to re-
wise it. have We not suggested that the
idea of national obligations has ceased
to be Of any consequence? Is not that
serious symptom in world which
dreemed Of justice upon earth and har
mony between civilized nations?
l would say more; when we probe
tn. secret motives of such uanger-
GUS attitudes we all TOO often dis
cover commercial influences. Mar
, kets to gain or to keep-as in the
case of oil-that is what holds the
| center Of the political scene.
Take care. Gold is threatening to
become the real imperialism. Did
millions of men die for that: They
thought they We're contributing to
the triumph of an ideal. they wished
to abolish all rivalry for supremacy.