Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1922-05-05
war RUMORS
REPORTED RIFE
IN OLD WORLD
Practical Europeans Speak
of Conflict AS Only a
Matter of Time-Forc
by Frame is Seen.

OF war Hi the ar. FROM CHe Dan
ube, where the writer was few
days ago, to the Seine, where he is
today, hard practical men, the kind
known as safe and sane, talk about
the coming conflict as only Il mat
tier of time They assert that Eu-
rope in its present state is untenable,
although there is doubt as to how
long human patience, which notably
is long on suffering, will hold out.
How. long will it be? Some say a
few years, other few months.
1t will not be localized. they say,
/ but will be d general European
free-for-al since every region in
Europe will eagerly seize anything
resembling the opportunity to- re-
pair what they regard as the injus-
tice of the various treaties of peace.
Sees French Invasion.
One man, who is called the best
informed in Hungary, told the CORE
Isnondent that it would not surprise
/ him were war to break out this
summer. He believes France will
be compelled to invade Germany to
get reparation satisfaction, and that
this time Germany will not submit
lmeekly to fresh seizures of territory.
Although anti-German himself, he
believes that Germany would smear
| France ii, short order" through
sheer weight of numbers and SUI
Ipcror machine equipment, were
England to remain neutral
This would be the signal for Hun
gary to take the field in the hope
of regaining the provinces lost to
CHecho- Sloval1ia, Roumania and Ser
bia, which are called Hungary's
three Aisace-Lorraines in posters
prominently displayed i'll Hungarian
government offices. Moreover, Hun
gary, although intensely anti-Rus-
sian, is far from sympathetic to-
ward the allies, contending that they
betrayed her in handing her richest
mining and manufacturing districts
to neighboring states.
1t must be confessed that this
iyarn sounded fantastic in Budapest,
| but, returning westward, one found
many facts to dovetail with it,
If Germany Resisted
| France is not bellicoso, but she
believes the occupation of further
| German territory, even although un-
authorized unspecificaly by the
treaty, would be justified if neces-
sary for enforcement purposes. Yet
lif Germany resisted, and the tone
of even the most moderate German
newspapers make this seem entirely
possible, then a general French
mobilization would follow, and Poin
CARES 1914 phrase, mobilization
is not war" could be replaced with
just as much truth now as then.
That Lloyd George realizes these
possibilities and is working night
and day to avoid them is clear from
his nonaggression pact proposal
which certainly was intended to
prevent France taking any unau-
thorized steps toward the enforce
ment of the treaty of Versailles.
Frances resistance shows that she
understands England's game and
does not intend to make any such
promise. Therefore, if the pact ac
tually is signed there will be res
ervation excepting Versailles en-
forcemcnt measures and this reser-
walton will nuIlify the value of the
whole document.
France clearly is an obstacle tol
the kind of new peace treaty that
Lloyd George wishes, but she feels
justified in this stand, fearing that
a Georgian" peace would reduce
her to the rank of second class
power by hamstringing her army,
Is 1t a Peace at All?
The question thus arises whether
the treaty of Versailles, whereon
France stands, really is peace at
all since it means perpetual war or
threats of war. This issue would |
have arisen three years ago but for |
the successive efforts of the Miller !
and, Leygues and BRAND govern I
ments to modify the treaties in ac-
cordance with British conceptions.
Ioincaire is the first since Clemen
ceau to demand full enforcement of
the entire treaty's paragraphs.
1t is hard to say what England's
attitude VIII be if a showdown
comes. 1t it widely believed here
hat Great Britain is urging the
United States to bring pressure to
bear on France to hold her horses
md to agree to a binding, nonag-
aessiVe pact by promising that when
stability thus is assured,
\merica viii cooperate economically
md will consent to substantial CON
essons concerning debts. But the
difficulty here seems to be that
uch promises are useless to the
present French government unless
hey are publicly made and the
United States is unwilling to make
uch DubIic assurances for internal /