The Washington herald., 1922-05-01

will not lose by this enterprise and
foresight. From the economic
point Of view this reconstruction of
Russia will be Of benefit to the
whole world, including the United
states, for it will link up 10000. 900
industrious people with moving
tides of trade and add to our gem
e-al sources of wealth.
So far as this has been the out
come of the Genoa conference, II is
good. In a political way IL creates
new and dreadful dangers. am
not one of those who believe in the
bogey of Bolshevism. I have seen
with my own eyes the whole ghast
ly failure of that experiment and
its almost absolute abandonment by
the very men who were it's authors
Communism no longer exists in
Russia and in my opinion will not
come back within the next loo
years. On the contrary, / believe
the next phase of Russia will be a
very corrupt form of capitalism. In
any case, German influence will not
be in the direction of Bolshevism
but against it, unless Germany her.
self is swept by revolution on. ac-
count of bankruptcy and starvation
Danger Lies I'm Regrouping.
This opening of Russia to world
trade is going to kill and not Gre
ate Bolshevik propa eanda. The
danger is not there. Where II lies
is in the ,regrouping of the Euro
pean powers on military lines for
defense and aggression. Alfesdy II
is seen that the French answer to
| German-R Russian alliance Is the
closing up OF military and defen-
sive understandings between France,
Poland, Czecho-Slovakia. Rumania
and other nations Of the little en-
tente.
Great Britain has not yet decided
into which group of powers she will
throw her weight. and that decision
viii be fought out in the internal
political conflict which Is already
boiling up. My belief is that we
shall join the French group OF
powers, with. the attitude of be-
nevolent arbitration towards Ger
many. But all that is the worst
thing that could happen in Europe
This gathering and grouping into
new combinations of powers and
new alliances is simply preparation
for new conflict, not very soon. but
as soon as one group feels strong
enough to challenge another. 1t Is
barking back to all those evil con-
ditions of mind and energy which
caused the Armageddon in 1914.
"DreadfuI I'm It's Fruits,
II that Is all that comes out OF
Genoa, it is dreadful in its fruits
1t is a vile revelation OF statesman
ship which should arouse the wrath
of all people who have been work
ing and thinking in the direction OF
International peace. But. though ]
point out the dangerous possibili.
ties, 1 am not so pessImistic as tc
believe in their inevitable happen n.
ing. Other things have happened
at Genoa behind the scenes which
point to more hopeful results. While
the big powers like France and
Great Britain, Germany and now
Russia, have been engaged in high
controversy, smaller powers not ia
be left out of account nave also
been pressing their views. Sweden
Holland, Denmark, Finland, Es-
thonia, Poland, Lithuania, Spain,
have been meeting in conference
and from what I hear are exceed
ingly hostile to policies which
would leave Russian reconstruction
in the hands of Germany and allow
France to pursue an aggressive
and destructive attitude.
The Genoa conference has done
this good. in spite of its failures
and its dangers. 1t has brought
into the open those perils which
were hidden under false illusions
1t has brought Europe face to face
with that supreme alternative
conciliation or conflict. Our hope
lies not with politicians and diplo-
mats. but now and always with the
sense of peoples. l am still con.