The Washington herald., 1922-03-10

for property destroyed during the war; to keep their
German rivals from dominating them again, and, in
general, to cash in their military triumph. Un-
til now their army represents their major invest
ment, and this they cannot afford to cancel, mat
ter how vociferously they implored to do so
from across the Channel from across the sea-
"These conflicting French and British economic
aims explain the political clashes since the armis-
tfce. They explain the differences over the Sics-
ian coal fields, which England wanted Germany TO
retain that she could reopen her factories while
the French wanted the Poles to get them. We arc
now told that thanks to the military
alliance, French capitalists exploiting the best
mines. They explain the differences in policy re-
gardng the Austrian succession states. While the
British already control the shipping the Danube,
the French understanding with Hungary has enabled
the Schneider group, which the French
cannonmakers of lie Creusot, to get the contracts
for the construction of docking facilities. They ex-
plain the rivaries in the Near East, where French
oil magnates, in common with American interests,
cast longing eyes the Mesopotamian oil fields
about Moussoul which the British took care
to secure the mandate
"In regard to the much larger problems of how
| to treat Germany and Russia, the French and the
British have divergent views into which economic
we'll political considerations enter. Having
seen the German feet sunk and German merchant
ing to let German industries revive Who could
distribute their output to the of the world
we'll the British merchant marine? The
French manufacturers, the other hand, would
rather let the French peasants live in their dugouts
and cellars until they are able rebuild their
homes than allow German industries to- recover
because in such recovery they can nothing
but 1uip for their own enterprises. When the Ger
man armies bombarded Rheims, they remind u.s.
they aimed not so much at the cathedral at the
factories and homes of the French manufacturers
of wooens, which were located in such quarter
that they could not be hit from the German lines
without an occasional shell striking the ancient
sanctuary. Nor this the only instance of war
and business interests working hand in hand.
: "With Russia the British willing to do
business as the Soviet government had
established its power. Some Frenchmen go far
as to assert that the British helped pull off the
revolution, because the imperial regime was dan
gerous rival British interest in Asia, and though
this may be an eraggeraton, much history is yet
unrecorded. The French, the other hand in
vested money in attempts to restore their former
allies, the Russian imperialists, with whom they not
only anticipated future business, but from whom
they could collect interest oh former investments
Russia still has the materials which France
sorely needs, and there is now every likelihood of
the two countries getting together again. French
unofficial observers, favorite presentday euphem
ism, have been observed in Moscow, not only by
the Germans, but by American correspondents
Perhaps the economic conference at Genoa will
be the real peace conference