The Washington herald., 1922-06-04

y =
France will be safe If she reduces
Rer army, provided all Europe
agrees to sign nonaggression
pact. To which the Frenchman re-
plies that Belgium was not safe In
1914, although she was neutralized
and her neutrality guaranteed oy
the nation which attacked her.
Then the Englishman replies that 1t
is a new world and new Germany
and clinches the argument by de-
claring that IL France does not let
Germany up. Germany will In due
course seek revenge. The French
man replies that he cannot see any
sign of a new world and believes
that the German will attack him.
even II he does let him up.
Disarmament Farley Useless.
You see, then, quite plainly that
there is no use in a conference on
the subject of disarmament. as the
league of nations commission has
Just reported. In the first place
because France will not attend such
a conference. Poincare made this
clear at Boulogne and BRAND fell
| after Cannes because he had not
made II clear. Secondly. because IL
France did attend such a conference
her course Is marked out in advance,
as was disclosed during the Wash
ington conference by BRANDS mem
orable speech.
| The same thing is true of the
reparations problem. France has a
vast devastated area. which will
cost ten or twelve billions to re-
construct. She has already spent
$1,000, 100000 on the task If she
does not get these sums from Ger
many her people will have to bear
the burden and she will be fiscally
ruined. while Germany will go scot
free. But Great Britain has up
ward of 100000 men permanently
out Of work, who cannot find en-
ployment until the markets of the
continent and primarily the German
markets are restored. AS long as
the reparations figures stand where
they do, the British believe that
there will be no restoration of the
continental market. And IL unem-
ployment thus continues in the long
Thus France says, Pay" and the
Englishman says. Reduce" So far
no one has found any compromise.
| Attacks Only Protection.
When the Englishman denounces
the French army he attacks the
sole means the Frenchman has OF
collecting that $4,000. 900. 900 which
Germany owes him and all the
allied nations, together with the
United States. have certified is
properly owing and should be paid.
He also assails the only protection
the Frenchman sees against an
other devastation. when the
Frenchman insists upon payment
by Germany he demands the per-
petuation of a chaos in the conti-
mental markets which threatens the
very life of the British Empire.
In recent weeks the first really
sensible effort has been made to
deal with the situation. II way
can be found by which Germany
can borrow money internationally
and thus meet the French repara-
tions claims, then it will be pos
sible to find a basis for bargaining
as between France and Great Brit
ain, for, despite all that has been
said to the contrary, I am satisfied
that II is money that France most
wants. Unless the money Is forth
coming, I believe that in the end
France will crush Germany. But II
the money is offered there is small
reason to believe that the French
peasant. who runs France. who
pays the taxes, will refuse the pay
ment because of any militaristic or
nationalistic ferment.
Bound to BE FstiIe.
But until the way is found to
lprovide the money. a conference on
the question Of armaments or rep-
Iarations, conference like Wash
Iington or like Genoa, is bound to
be futile. Least OF all can the
United states. which insists that
France pay the s4.000,00O,O00 loaned
ito France to be used in battle
with a common enemy, undertake
to persuade France to reduce her
claim against that enemy for dew
astation done with the deliberate
purpose of erasing France as a
great power in Europe. And this
is equally true of the similar sum
owed by France to Britain. but the
British have long ago foreseen this
fact and have not the smallest idea
of collecting penny of ii.
But 1 have wandered a bit from
my subject. Washington was a par
tial success, a complete success sc
far as capital ships as between the
three great seapowers were con-
cerned, because all three wanted tC
make a bargain and the desire was
known in advance. 1t was a partial
fon n
France and in the matter of sub
marines, France was not ready to
make a bargain on the only terms
offered and due care was not taken
to discover that fact in advance.
Total Disagreement.
Genoa failed because there was
general disagreement, total dis
agreement between Russia and the
Western nations and the situation
was further complicated by the pro-
found divergencies between the
Western nations themselves. And
in the present situation in Europe
any new conference must fail fol
not settle things, they simply re-
cord the desire for settlement, when
that has arrived.
Why. after all. has the league OF
nations ceased to figure in all i'm
portant questions? Simply because
to refer any question of major i'm
portance to the league Is merely tC
transfer to that field all the battles
now fought out in conferences, OIL
in the supreme council. The league
of nations could have accomplished ed
exactly as much as the Washing.
ton conference had the parties ir