The Washington herald., 1922-01-22

the United states
Now. Poincare may fail. he may
even fail In getting an effective min
istry. The tide may set back toward
BRAND. But IL Is worth while re-
calling that what people are now
saying OF Poincare they said Of
CIemenceau when he took once in
1917. Il was Caillaux who remarked
that ciemenceau would follow Pain
leve. that he would try 10 win the
war and fsil and give way 20 CsiIiaux
who would make peace. But Glenn
enceau won the war. Poincare Is by
no means as strong a man as Glenn
enceau: IN fact the French opinion Of
their former President fs far less
isttering than foreign We are prone
TO regard him as a man OF iron; a
very considerable number Of French
men regard him as a painted lathe.
Therefore II Is even possible that
when he sits down at the table with
Lloyd George the Welshmsn will be
as successful with him as he has
been with all OF his predecessor.
This will mean the doom Of Polncare,
but IL Is not certain that u will
mean reversal OF Frenck policy.
WashinEfon Foresees Un6er.fanains.,
The current view In Washington
Is that in the end the French will
come TO take the English and the
American point OF view with re-
spect 20 Germany. There are end
less number of arguments pro-
duced to support this conclusion.
The French policy is described ana
denounced as miIitaristic. chauvin-
istic and all the other convenient
terms available to suggest mad
ness of a peculiar sort There is a
prevailing opinion that sooner or
later the French will md out they
cannot get reparations in large
amounts from Germany and will
accept the fact. confess that I
do not share this view. II was
just as strongly urged at the Paris
conference where all American and
British observers agreed in fore
casting the speedy denation %
French expectations. But this de-
hation has not come and the men
who have attempted TO "selF' the
British view of the German ques-
don TO the French people have
fallen In rapid succession. while
the French Parliament remains
II seems TO me that France is
far more apt 10 wreck Germany, as
she can, then quietly to permit
German restoration while her own
claims are neglected Poincare may
or may not be the man 20 express
this French determination, but L
feel certain that the French peo-
pie will never in any useful time
consent TO shoulder the burdens re-
sulting from the German attack
and at the same time see Germany
aided by Britain and by the United
states regaining her old economic
prosperity and political strength.
German had Faith Constant
II there were any way of de-
termining the amount which Ger
many could pay and OF insurinE
German payment OF that amount
the situation might be solved. But
to me the profound difficulty seems
to lie in the fact that the one con-
slant element is German bad faith.
The fact that Germany does not
mean to pay at all is what be-
devils everything and makes a dis
cussion OF what Germany can and
cannot pay OF no more than acs-
demic interest From the moment
Of the armistice 20 the present hour
German bad faith has been unin-
terrupted in every single detail
which had to do with the fulfill
ment of the terms both Of the ar
mistice and Of the treaty Of ver-
sailles. This bad faith moreover
lies open TO every Frenchman who
sees In IL a new revelation OF the
Oldest and bltterest facts in French
history
II the United States goes TO Ge-
noa before the political situation lin
Europe is cleared up We Shall be
thrown violently against one Eu-
ropean nation TO serve the inter-
ests OF another. Just as we were at
Paris and just as we have been in
the recent Washington conference.
II we go to Genoa we shall be eN-
pected to cancel the foreign loans
ana contribute additional money to
the restoration OF European eco-
nomic conditions. Europe has never
recovered from the expectations
aroused by the Paris conference and
to its own mind only Temporarily
postponed by the unhappy fate OF
Mr.. Wilson. Mr.. Lloyd Georges
scheme for getting Europe on its
feet again depends. in the main,
upon the assumption that the United
States will furnish the money. the
British will supply the brains, and
Germany will turn over the ma
chinery.
Copyright le21D