Evening star., 1922-01-18

A N object-lesson to the United
~ States is furnished by the min
~ isterial upheaval-in in France As
result of Brands negotiations
at Cannes boxing to the economic re-
construction Of Europe. Poincare comes
into power pledged against policy Of
'softnsss" toward Germany. 1t Is
time this country steeled Itself
against any 'softness' toward the
entire European situation. and espe-
cially toward those nations which
permit selfish ambitions and squab-
bling politicians to interfere with
the processes OF readjustment. With
the life Of q continent at stake they
rare quibbling over nonessentials. and
must be brought to their senses.
Things in Europe cannot 60 on
much longer the way they are headed
now without bringing the whole arti-
fetal economic STRUCTURE sopplias
disaster throughout the world. There
is hardly q country In Europe which
IL earning its living today. They are
living ON their capital and going
Eopelessly into debt They are eat
inS Up tncH seeO corn auo efeu8u"
tering their heifers." and thus de-
stroyIng the means Of reproduction.
r ktt
With things az they are today. with
militarism sapping ths very life blood
Of the continent, further credits from
this country would be worse than
useless. It would be like throwing
money to = drunken man. It would
be futile to stipulate that loans from
tary purposes. The borrowers would
simply beat the devil around the
stump by using American dollars to
buy essentials, and the money thus
released from esseptiaf needs would
be applied to their military establish
must be reduced before the United
States can afford to extend any fur.
ther help.
This means land armament even
more than naval armament The
countries whose economic condition
naval powers: but they are maintain
ing huge armies when their people
have not enough to eat and lack tools
and materials with which to work.
Consideration Of land disarmament
leads straight to Russia and the SOW
let government at Moscow. Trot-
sky's red army directly mensoes the
the eastern frontiers Of Poland and
Rumania and indirectly msnaces
Keeps them armed. Il figures largely
in Frances insistence upon keeping
nearly = million men with the colors,
for France IL pledged to the safety
haps less degree to those Of the lit
tie entente. 1t is more or less for
mally hound military alliance, with
France as the keystone.
+ X X X
Russia, therefore, enters into the
equation in two vital ways Her re-
sources are an economic necessity TO
Europe. Reduction of her rcd army
Is military necessity which bears
supremely on the economic situation.
Europe cannot be saved unless and un-
.. til Russia is restored to cooperation
Russia can be SO restored until the
attitude Of other nations toward her
changes.
II Russia seeks political recognition,
which she would hold to be recog.
milton of the political principles upon
which the soviet government is
tions, among them the United States,
are UNIV willing to accord But in order
to mako possible distribution Of fam.
Inc relief the United States worked
out formula by which 1t co.operated
with the Moscow government without
extending political recognition. Sure
ly the world is not SO bankrupt In
craftsmanship that it cannot md
way to cooperate commercially with
Russia without concedihg the potfti-
cal acceptability of its government.
Lenin and Trotsky and their
methods and theories are unspeak.
able to civilized peoples. So the
Turk war. and rs unspeakable. but
other nations did not. refuse to do
business with him on that account:
have been quarreling for his favor