The Washington herald., 1922-05-07
GENOA PEACE HOPES VAIN;
WAR CERTAIN, SAYS SIMONDS

OF protection from German attack
can offer no guarantee. for the Brit
ish army has been reduced to mar
row limits and Is required to face
grave imperial issues in India, in
Mesopotamia and in Ireland. And.
obviously. Britain does not promise
to- make up the sums due France
from Germany in the matter of rep
arations. IL Germany refuses to pay
and France does not employ force.
England Opposes Force.
The Englishman says-and per-
hsps majority of Americans agree,
that the use OF force by France
threatens European civilization. that
1t is essential to get back to peace
conditions. He tells the Frenchman
that reparations are fixed at an inn
possible sum-although he helped
fix them and ratified the treaty
which did fix them. He tells the
Frenchman that military activity
now VIII insure German attack In
the future. But he has no alterna :
tive, save that France shall make
all the sacrifices and run all the
risks. All he says is that his way
is right. morally right. and the
French way morally wrong and po-
litically inexpedient.
There is the deadlock. there il
has been since the conference OF
Paris, or more exactly. since the
united States Senate rejected the
Paris settlement and the Anglo
American guarantee to France
lapsed. Ever with increasing en-
ergy the Briton has insisted France
must take his view. And we have
more and more absorbed this Brit
| ish point of view. partly because
for us. too. such French submission
would be Convenient and profitable
Like the British we lay great en-
phasis on the moral superiority OF
our solution. but like the British
We close our eyes firmly to any
possible risk to France.
French Are Determined.
Now. unless there is a complete
| revolution in French opinion and
in French public life. a revolution
of which there were no signs in
Paris in April. France will not
| make this sacrifice. She will no,
resign the power or the right "a
| use her army to compel Germany
to observe her military pledges and
pay her reparations debts. She will
| not do this even II the alternative
leaves her isolated in the world
Indeed the French already feel iso-
lated, but the sense of isolation
does not in the least promote sur
fs
tain dogged determination go II
alone, of which the Bar-le-DuC
speech was but one illustration.
But the Franco-Germau problem
| is not the only one raised by Lloyd
/ Georges proposed treaty OF mutual
guarantee. Looking eastward there
! is the case of Poland. BY various
| treaties. plebiseites. etc, Poland has
| acquired much territory. not by any
means all that was Polish when
| Germany, Austria and Russia be-
gan the partitions OF the eigh-
teenth century. But these acduisi-
tions are challenged Sby Russia. by
Lithuania. by Germany. On what
territorial basis can Poland's in
tegrity be guaranteed?
Polish Question Rises.
On the condition "as is" insist
| the Poles. But the Russians re-
| fuse to recognize the condition
| created hy the treaty of Riga. They
even claim. through the Tkranians
! that Eastern Galicia which was
! never Russian at all, but passed
| from Austria to Poland when the
| Hapsburg monarchy elapsed ano
| had been Polish before il was Aus
| trian. But now the British inter.
vene and suggest that Poland
should moderate her ideas or hei
own integrity. be satisfied with less
| than she has. All of this would
much assist in placating Russia
and Germany. but to the Pole II
would be a new partition.
You will find all this Pollsr
attitute bitterly condemned 1T
many British journals and in some
American which echo Manchestei
/ ideas. The reason is obvious; l,
the Poles. like the French. oon
submit. then settlement may oe
delayed. there may be fresh wars
in the east of Europe. British
policy has always been hoSlle &c
Poland. because any Poland is an
lntOleTdDle llltiiNlSii>N ,
German and Russian historical
policies and sooner or later there
will be new struggles. since neitn-
er the Russian nor the German mas
resigned his old holdings in Poland
Hungary May Rise Again.
Yet it is perfectly idle to sup
pose that the Poles will join in any
European arrangement which eX-
cludes part Of the territory they
hold from the protection OF the
document. The same is true of Ru-
mania. The Rumanians have occu.
pied Bessara bia. which has by its
own vote united itself with the
PRumanian crown. A majority OIL
the people are Latin. But Russia
has never recognized the union
Certainly Rumania will never suo-
scribe to a treaty of mutual guar
antee, which omits Bessarabla, bu'
not impossibly Russia might refuse
to agree to one which included II
Hence some British and some
Americans are terribly veNed with
| Rumania.
Then there Is Hungary. She has
been reduced from great state to
hopeless fragment. Never while
the Danube flows to the sea Will the
Hungarians resign their claims to
the old territory of the Crown oil
st. Stephan. Any document, how
ever solemn, will have no meaning
for them If the opportunity comes
| to restore the old frontiers. But to
| .L;o CzechO-Sl