The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-05-21
cont.aaed From Page ors.


gained by the world war. Having
at last reached her natural frontiers.
she intends to hold them. but by con-
trast. she is hostile to Jugo-slavia
and as a result friendlS to Hungary.
Britain Il Neutral.
The Italian situation is typical
Of European things. As to France.
Italy. without material grievances
or rivalries of moment, is moved, by
a sentimental bitterness which is
perhaps even sharper than any bit
.terness growing out of clashes OF
material interest. Since France and
Jugo-Slavia are both united in sup
port of the Paris settlement, italy,
therefore. finds herself steadily
drawn toward the German Russian
group and may be counted with II
in all diplomatic debates, IL not yet
In matters of actual conflict.
AS to the British situation. It Is
complicated by many things. Like
Italy, Britain, brought home from
the war material gains which are
now open to challenge. Germany
may plan to recover Alsace-Lor-
raine,< or Russia turn her eyes to-
ward Bessarabia, but no German
looks to reclaim the colonies taken
by the British. while with the dis
appearance of Austria Hungary,
Italy no longer has to pay heed to
her Tyrolean and Istrian conquests.
Since what the British and the
Italians acquired as a result of the
war cannot be placed in jeopardy
by any revision of the treaties of
Paris. the British, like the Italians.
are free to play on one side or the
other of the two great continental
groups.
England Guards Trade.
But the foundation of all British
policy Is British trade and IL be-
comes clear that the perpetuation
OF present conditions on the con-
tinent. the development of rival al
liances. such as promoted. war in
1914. must have grave menace for
British trade. British policy, then,
must aim at preventing war by re-
conciling the two groups. But I'M
happily, to reconcile the two groups
remains impossible for 1t carries
with It the inevitable. the inescap-
able condition of a revision OF the
Paris theaties. Thus in the end,
Britain is carried over to the Russo
German group.
Recognize this fact and you see
all recent European history ex-
planned. For nearly three years the
British under Lloyd Georges leader
ship have with ever increasing in
dustry labored to bring about a re-
vision of the Paris treaties. Their
ostensible explanations have been
that these treaties promised not
peace but war. their actual reason
has been that the prostration of
British industry must continue I'M
less European conditions were i'm
proved.
Proposals Are Empty.
But what has Britain to propose?
Unfortunately. only that all the
sacrifices should be made on one
side. To propitiate Germany, France
must consent to modify her repara-
lions claims. sure nder her right
and power to use force to collect
her bill. agree to a reduction Of
military strength which would
leave her helpless IL Germany and
Russia should presently take the
field.
What of Poland. of Rumania, of
Czecho-Slovakia? OF all of them
similar sacrifices are demanded
that Russia and Germany both
shall be brought to accept the sit
uation in Europe as satisfactory.
Similarly, Belgium Is invited to re-
nounce her rights in Russia. But
in return, what are Belgium and
France and the other nations to re-
eeive? Nothing except such benefit
as they may derive from stabier
conditions, against which must be
set immediate sacrifice and eventual
risk.
Only All to Britain.
Where does the profit of this
policy go7 Obviously. first of all
to Britain, whose trade will i'm
prove precisely as European sta
bility increases. Quite as clearly
the other gamers will be the
Russo-German group, who will ac-
quire provinces, escape payments
and increase power. Some portion.
some very considerable portion, of
the costs of the war and of the
revolution will thus be transferred
from one SET of shoulders to the
other.
Now the whole thing centers
upon that pan-European nonag-
gression pact, which 1 have dis
cusseds here before. The British.
backed by the Italians, would have
such a pact, preceded by a general
adjustment based upon sacrifices
made by France, Poland and the
other new or expanded states. But
they would insist and do insist
that this pact shall not be fortified.
by any provision for the employ
! ment of force, if in violation of the
pact, one nation or one group of
nations attack. as Germany at
tackled in 1914.
Entente Breaks Down.
To this proposal all the group of
states, of which France is the most
considerable, opposes a square neg
ative. 1t will not pave the way for
the pact by surrendering territory
or reducing reparations claims. 1t
will not agree to abandon the force
which it has in its hands unless it
can be provided with solid guaran-
tees. But this means in practice
that Britain would have to join
France in promising to use force
to preserve the existing state of
things against any Russo-German
challenge. For Britain to do this
would be to enter one OF the Eu-
ropean groups. as she did enter the
triple entente before the world
war.
Obviously to do this would be in
fact to destroy the whole British
or Lloyd Georgian conception, this
would be, the end of any pan-Eu-
ropean adjustment, therefore, with
ever growing unanimity the British
newspapers have repulsed the IA
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