The New York herald., 1922-04-23
Lloyd Georges Hands Tied
by Politics Of Enemies
at Home.
MUST STRENGTHEN MARK
Peace Impossible as Long as
Red Army Remains in
Being.
BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

ny Sill FAlLlF Olb6Ss
spccial Cable to THE NEW YORK HraALp
LONDON, April a. The opening
drama of the Genoa conference is
enormously interesting to any student
of life and history. Only Shakespeare
or some other world genius could do
justice to its strange mingling of
tragedy and comedy, it's fantastic
characters, its clash of rival and hos
tile interests, it's public professions Of
good will. its intrigues. plots, conspira-
cies behind the scenes. In many ways
!. is like one of the old Greek dramas
in which humanity is playing It's little
part on lifes stage but is the sport
of unseen gods and under some spell
of fate from which it cannot escape
until it has accomplished it's doom.
AS in the Greek drama. also, the cho-
rus is as important as the players,
interpreting their action and breaking
In upon their speeches.
The chorus to the Genoa conference
IS the newspaper press of Europe. and
its comments are like the howling CT
the witches of Macbeth" Let us
study the plot of this drama Of the
sembly of all the great nations save
one-the United States-who were en-
gagged in that Armageddon which
brought the civilized world to ruin
after the massacre of it's noblest youth.
Victors and vanquished are sitting
down together not with love in their
hearts but under the necessity of de-
rising some plan to repair the devas-
tating effects of the conflict and start
again the machinery Of civilization
thrown out of working order and al
most wrecked.
Hard to Make Peace.
The men representing those nations
are to some extent conscious of their
own impotence. They hear the dis
tant laughter of the gods and feel the
pressure of the unknown forces of
fate and that inevitable law of the
Greek drama of life which makes it
impossible for men to escape the pen-
alties of their own stupidity. 1t was
they, many of them. who let forth
the furies. And now it is hard to
chain them UP again. 1t was they
who made an unreasonable peace af-
ter Armageddon, blocking their own
way of escape from ruin. and prepar-
ing new catastrophes. They appealed
to the lowest passions of mob law
and now are afraid of their own peo-
pie. They lied and are now afraid to
tell the truth.
Above all they are afraid of tho
chorus jeering at them in the worlds
press, threatening death to them IL
they depart from their old falsities.
reciting. reiterating the old spell
words. demanding not more truth but
more lies, not new sanity but worse
stupidity. not plans for peace but
more deeply dug intrenchments of
hatred for further and inevitable con-
fiict. Men Of good will there are in
this assembly of nations, men who
stare at the realities of life with
steady eyes and hopeful vision, but
they have enemies around about, rails
ing chorus OF menace lest they
should dare establish a reign of COM
mon sense inaugurating an era of
peace. Writing in palmer words, cer-
tain things are emerging clearly from
what has happened already at Genoa.
Obstacles to Agreement.
The most important revelation is
the determination of Lloyd Georges
enemies to arouse popular suspicion
and prejudice against any effort he
may make to reshape the affairs Of
Europe in such a way that its indus
trial recovery may be quickened and
its peace secured. They would rather
have Europe remain in chaos than
have Lloyd George regain his power.
Y7-sse 70 also a wide reaching agree
'nen. to prevent any recognition of the
Soviet republic in Russia. whatever
concessions Russian representatives
may make. whatever guaranty they
may give.
Thirdly, there Is the clearly revealed
policy Of Poincare OF France, but not
of the French people, that will OBJ
struct any arrangement whatever
which would lead to the demobiliza-
ton OF the French army. the modiflca-
tion Of German reparations or any
alterations by so much as a comma of
the Treaty OF Versailles.
Lloyd George is still the most In
teresting character of this world
drama staged In Genoa. His plan for
pao. of peace In Europe would obtain
IRE support OF all level headed men
ana women If his hands were free to
deal with IL squarely. But his hands
are not free. AS he sits there in the
conference room OF st. Georges Palace
he is conscious Of political powers at
homo watching every move no makes.
analyzing every sentence he speaks,
ready to gag him 4 he exceeds their
instructions. He sees this problem Of
European reconstruction as a simple
exercise Of common sense. Russia
must be brought back as soon as pos
sible to economic life. Her present
Government is by all reports strong
and enduring. Therefore IL must be
0ealt with and recognized under strict
guarantees.
Germany cannot escape bankruptcy
if the present penalties are fully en-