New-York tribune., 1922-02-17

any other nation. ThcyA are scvcra
hundred thousands of Germans who
speak Russian, and tho German Ian
guagc used to be we'll understood il
commercial Russia. Germany has the
industrial capacity and the organizing
genius which Russia lacks Russia
has the food producing capacity and
lllimitable maupower which Germany
better than any other nation, could
organize.
There are almost insuperablc OBJ
stacles in the way of economic fusion
between the two countries, however
Poland is one Of those obstacles An
other is the fear which the Allies en-
tertain regarding the military roten-
tialities Of this union of German or
ganization and Russian productivity
and they will certainly exercise all
their influence to prevent it, Perhaps
it cannot be avoided. There is.an in
stability in the present political status
OF Middle and Eastern Europe which
might lead to Kaleidoscope changes.
No one can predict with assurance
what the future there will bring forth.
Economic pressure in Germany may
produce radicallsm which would bring
the political forces in Germany and
Russia into approximate harmony. The
state
to prevent economic fusion between
Russia and Germany must be admitted.
In Germany there is no political belief
more universally held than that Poland
is not a permanent state.
Nevertheless, ! do not think tho
probabilities point to an extension of
Rolshevism, for it is a rapidly wan;nq
political theory in Europe. Wherever
tho pressure of human misery be-
comes too great there are likely to be
outbreaks that will be called Bolshe-
vlstlc: But these social disorders viii
only be Bolshevistic in the sense that
mere VIII be looting of property, for
that is what Bolshevsm largely mea,s
The economic annihlation Of Rrssia
mas tor the time being seriously under
mined the commercial structure of Eu-
rope. Until some progress is made in
restoring something of its old econom-
&c Importance TO Russia Europc will
severely feel the effect doubt if we
clearly realize in America how import-
ant would be the commercial reaction
mere to an economic rehabilitation of
Eastern Europe.
Near East of Vital
Concern to America
Ihe potential possibilities that would
follow sound economic develonment
OF affairs in the Near East concern us
ter more intimately than we arc aware
here IS vast population capable Of
great development. 1t is a section of
the world which is about AS little
Congo. '"c
| was told that for period Of
twenty-seveA years only one ship bear
a..
n6rpor or Constantinoplc, though thew
have seen a good many of our shins
since the war. The people seem to rs
PI,escul1arly alien, the complicated po-
htlcal life insolvably puzzling. The
endless racial warfare makes n situa-
ton wholly uninviting to our enter-
prise. Nevertheless. there are w.
drreamed-of possibilities for mutual
advantageous contact
II we are to understand tho peonles
OF THIS region of poverty and misrule
we must recognize that the native in
nabltants are not alone to blame. The
Near East has been field in which the
great powers of Europe have dsplaved
their political ambitions and comn,er-
scial sclfshness. 1t has apparently
been their aim to see what can be rot-
ten out Of it rather than what can hc
made of it.
There has been almost no unselfsh
guidance. but there has been an in
finite amount of effort to secure snecial
pohtlcal and commercial advantage.
And selfshness continues TO be tho
chief role played by the great Euro
pean nations.
There are Americans in Constanti-
lnoplc who believe that it wovld stil
be possible for the United States to
play great role in the Near East. and
particularly in Turkey. They believe
that if We would undertake direction
OF affairs there with the same spirit
that we displayed in Cuba and IN the
Philippines there might be a surpris~
ing transform alton.
| examined the suggestion that has
been made that we might take over
from France and England the old Otto |
man debt as part of their payment to |
US Of Allied indebtedness and that
there might be developed under our
direction a sound financial program
and a system of public improvements
which would embrace a DEVELOPMENT Of
transportation, both by railways and
roads. @'0