The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-09-15
Gardiner Sees Issue Between Mil
itarism and Order.

After having regarded IL virtual
Sc with scorn for a year or more, pu
s. lie opinion is swinging around to I'll
- League of Nations as the only meal
lie of saving Europe from final disaste
4 The situation in Europe ever
L where bristles with bayonets.
t The Supreme Council, supposed [
Is be more powerful than the Leagu
It is dead
Panic-stricken nations are engage
in wild "sauve qui peut."
S What follows? The only aiterna
I tive is the League Of Nations.
I This was only vague phantor
e while the Supreme Council operated
S Even the survival of tho League wa
doubtful. France was openly hostil
+. to it. Lloyd George was indifferen
: to it. Lloyd George was indiffer-
ent.
POINT OF VIEW CHANGES.
But now the collapse of the council
is producing a now point of view
= The meeting of the assembly of the
League at Geneva this week has been
watched with deepest interest.
1t is even stated that Lloyd George
is willing to make an appearance be-
fore the assembly if invited. He
realizes that the Supreme Council is
gone and that the League now comes
to the front as the parliament OF
Europe.
The question now is, will France
modify her attitude toward the
League? France must be aware by
now that separate pact with Eng
land or America is out of the ques-
ton,
No party in England would dare
support the proposal of a separate
treaty with France The United States
would not think of it. Moreover,
such a pact is not necessary TO the
defense of France.
GERMANY Is DISARMED.
Germany is disarmed and impover-
tshed, while France is the only great
military power left in Europe
The once proposed separate treaties
would not defend France from an at
tack by Germany, but would estab-
lish the military dictatorship OF
France in Europe. If France still
feels she needs external assurance nf
protection she must have it through
the League of Nations
Briefly. the issue before Europe to-
day is between French militarism and
the League of Nativns-between an
archy and order.
The vital question is how can the |
League be strengthened?
England is anxious for the inclu-
sion Of Germany ana is prepared for
the inclusion of Ireland. Unfortu-
nately the Irish Free States treaty
has not been ratified by both Eng
land and Ireland.
But for that obstacle Ireland might |
have been admitted to the League
at the present assembly meeting.
HARD STRUGGLE AHEAD.
The discussions in the assembly on
the subjects of PREPARATIONS and arma-
ments have gone to the heart of the
troubles of Europe. Even with its
present one-sided constitution, the
League expresses more and more Of
to the reasonable mind of
the world, and, best of all, it comes
in sharp conflict with the idea of
a French hegemony over Europe.
The Supreme Council broke down
under the weight of that policy. Will
the League break, too?
The struggle will be a hard one,
but a hopeful factor is that France
is 'heginning to realize two things.
One is the financial folly of her
present policy, and the second is, the
growing hostility of the world to a
of French military dom
nation for Prussian domination.
The more that the United States ,
makes clear that it will have nothing .
to do with a militaristic Europe, but :
will cooperate W tn a pacific Europe, +.
he more certain will be the triumph
Of the League of Nations.
Meantime the temporary respite
given Germany by the reparations
has relieved the situa-
ton. Europe breathes again with
The suspension of French action and
he symptoms of a change in the at !,
.itude of Premier Poincare.
EUROPE LOOKING TO u. s. :
The impression prevails that /
France is beginning to realize that G
The cannot proceed with her policy '
or the disintegration of Germany in {
he face Of the public opinion of the
world liz
The appeal to America is signif- T
ant. All eyes in Europe turn un- t