The Washington herald., 1922-04-16

one battle but score Of battles.
You really have something of the
sensation that might be reused
when Kentucky feudlsts go to
town.
French Are Determined.
At Genoa Lloyd George will
seeek to reassert his leadership of
Europe, but meantime anarchy, po-
litical anarchy, distrust has sapped
all confidence once existing be-
tween certain countries, while as
the gulf between Britain and
France widens II Is easy to see
German resistance stiffen-but as
German resistance stifbens French
purpose hardens.
1t Is I should say, reasonably
clear that political, DISSATISFACTION
cannot continue indefinitely. One
has sense here of being on the
eve Of a crisis, perhaps a catas-
trophe.
II Genoa fails-If France Is fur
Their isolated as a consequence-ii
France even withdraws from con.
ference as win be possible at all
times-then there seems little rea.
son to doubt that from Genoa we
shall go to Berlin. mean we
shall have French armies at leas,
called In to redress the balance and
to save for France something from
the wreck of victory.
At the moment when the Genoa
conference opens there Is a feel.
ing, i think a pretty widespread
feeling. In France and out of b
that we are on the edge Of gredt
events, perhaps new traeedik
You can feel here almost instinct.
I've Tightening Of the muscleS q,
each new German provocatioh 1,
issued, and they may be issued In
these days from Berlin Or else,
where. Defeated and isolated \at
Genoa. France will be desperate
and don't think. much longei
qulescent.
France will go to Genoa with &
plan-a modest plan-looking to.
ward reopening Russia to WORLD
trade, but with the firm conviction
that there is no trade and tina,
years must pass before there car
be any. I don't think French on.
position will develop to any rea
sonable program OF Russian recon
struction. But what the French
feel Is that IT is not by reope ming
Russian markets that either Brit.
ain or Lloyd George can be saved
A Second Paris Conference.
The trouble with the Genoa con-
ference is precisely the trouble
with the Paris gathering three
years ago. For it an enormou.
amount has already been promised
much more than any sensible
person believes can be accom-.
plished. But since accomplish.
ment cannot now overtake promise
what is more tempting than to
seek to Ak responsibility for in.
evitable failure not upon conditions
but upon one nation or one policy
international Feuds Possible.
In any event it wouid ne impos.
sible to exaggerate apprehension
with which Europe went to Genoa
don't believe there was a single
country on the continent, with tho
possible exception of Russia, which
did not see this international con-
ference with something of the anx.
lety which must always attend a
battle. Moreover. since all the con.
ferences so far. from the Europesn
point of view, have provoked quar-
rels instead of preparing peace
this anxiety Is only natural. In
France l have not found one per.
son OF influence who believed that
Genoa might serve a useful pur.
pose. In Britain I found this opin-
ion only amongst those who were
champions of Lloyd George. Such
representatives of smaller nations
and such Italians as I have talk ed
with, share this pessimism to the
very bottom.
But in reality the apprehension
Is only partially fear Of the failure
Of Genoa. Beyond that failure
many acute observers see a rising
likelihood Of far more serious
things, OF which the French occu.
patton of Berlin is only one II per-
haps the most serious. On the sur
face Europe is fairly calm, but un-
der the surface, particularly in
world politics, the unrest is ter.
rife. And no country has the mo-
nopoly of unrest.
Conceivably Genoa may prove a
surprise which Europe without
faith vainly hopes for. But IL II
doesn't-if it fails-if II leads 10
further accentuation of interna-
tlonal feuds. then the possibilities
of evil are hardly to be exaReer-
ated. On this 1 think there is sub
stantial agreement all over the
continent OF Europe.