The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-23

culation, an ever Increasing cost OF
living, strikes, rapid changes in the
stock markets making comm cree and
industry impossible, accumulation of
stocks-Buch is the ransom OF those
four years Of war. 1t was materially
impossible that either for conqueror
or conquered aught else should re-
suit from this world catastrophe
than complete chaos for all. Millions
of men are not consecrated for fifty
two months to a work of death and
destruction for the world to be re-
established on the morrow of peace.
Such. rapidly reacQuired equilibrium
is beyond the bounds OF human
practicability.
But 1t was earnestly to be desired
both for the honor and salvation OF
humanity-that, associated in war,
nations should have remained as sol
idly united in the execution OF the
treaty OF peace as they had been in
the conflict which procured II. For
q people can die as easily from peace
as from war. War and peace proceed
at bottom from one and tse same
human impulse. the incessanN strug-
gle for existence and well being. For
that, II would have been necessary
that the conditions, the methods of
solidarity imposed by the war, should
have continued in peace and that, the
last gun fired people should not
have restricted themselves to the
keeping of an emotional memory of
suffering endured in common.
There is not only war" There Is
not only peace" There are great
peoples who should march shoulder
to shoulder toward human realiza-
tion of the ideal, today tomorrow,
a Ixxyav fhanph ha mil he 1os
and rough leading toward the haz-
ardous ends and through unknown
ways Instead of that and despite
Frances efforts to prevent it we saw
each other retake his liberty OF ac-
ton. No longer was there the SOL
idarity of one great body which by
its coordination and indissolubiIfty
had won the war. Only sharpshoot-
ers remained who in their craze for
independence, out of what l shall
call their national egotisn, may
easily come to lose the peace France
in 1914 was surrounded by allies who
had recognized her good faith and
her definitely pacific zent. In 1922
she is alone. confronted by a threat
ening Germany-alone with her
ruins with her fifteen hundred thou-l
sand dead, her eight hundred thou ]
sand mutilated, her three million
wounded. laid waste because the war
was fought on her territory. because
she was for months of tragic uncer-
tanty the rampant OF the world. a
have left the whole world at the
mercy OF Germany. The was was
fought on our own territory because
France happened to stand between
the world and Germany. The world
seems to forget that very easily.
France Is Isolated
France is isolated. With her fl
nances in disorder. with her indus
try but slowly recovering from the
turmoil. with merchant marine dis
organized by the war. she faces a
Germany which says. Il will pay"
and does not pay, because she was
permitted to escape even commence
ing to pay when she was we'll in the
position to do so. France Is isolated
for having since 1890 annoyingly
counted on the automatic execution
of treaty, at the foot of which
Germany. the President of the United
States, and England had signed and
without the strict application of
which there is no hope for France of
restoration. The will of the people
won the war. The will of all was no
less necessary for establishment of
peace. Instead, there was substi-
tuted chatter. with its inevitable pro-
cession of qnarrels without issue.
France in 1914 had grouped around
her almost unanimously the other ma
lions, because she was recognized as
sincerely DESTROYS of peace. Today
she Is accused of wishing to continue
the war In peace time. She is ac-
cused OF wishing to Introduce the
argument OF the sword into inter-
national conversations and to be de.
pendent upon those same methods OF
force and intimidation which had
gone to compose the Bismarckian
peace. That, because confronted by
a Germany that refuses to disarm
which will not execute the treaty of
Versailles or repair the danava dora