Evening star., 1923-07-01
FRANCE MAY BE FORCED
TO YIELD BY ALLIES
Specter Of English, Belgian and Italian
Cooperation in Aiding Germany
Is Faced.

of the new Belgian cabinet Is known
and the new Belgian policy Is an
correspondence and subsequent bet
ter understanding between. London,
Brussels and Rome.
According to advices which have
reached Washington there is every
indication that unless the French
| consent to q general survey of the
| whole situation within the immedi-
ate future. then The English. Ital-
! fans and Belgians will initiate q
, movement to settle their problems
with Germany directly. but until
they have urged the German gov
ernment to announce a policy of rep
arations more acceptable to all ma
tions. There are few delusions, how
| ever, that France will consent to
take up the question Of the repara-
tions and the Rhineland and Ruhr
occupation without some degree of
loathness. inasmuch. as Poincare is
| In an extremely difficult position by
virtue of the contrary currents in
French politics. Locheur and the
moderates on the one hand lean
ting back to normally. but with full
protection of French interests. On
| the other hand the Tardieu and the
extreme nationalists are assailing
Poincare for his lack of force in re-
gard to Germany. they demanding
Germany be eliminated from future
consideration in so far as the safety
OF France is concerned.
Threat to Poincare.
If Poincare leans toward the plans
of other allies to modify his Ruhr
and reparations policies as enunci-
ated in the past. then he lays himself
open to the shafts OF Tar1ieu and
his cohorts. There is extreme doubt
| that the Locheur school Is sufficient
to sustain the hand of Poincare in
| case the. nationalists are ignored.
which would mean in a crisis that
the nationalists would assume con-
| troll upon Poincare's custer and
France would pursue a firmer policy
| than ever-one completely out of
| tune with-the general European de-
sire to get things going again.
However, Poincare. it is believed.
! cannot long pursue his present course
IN case Germany makes some real
tender and the other allied nations
| openly express their conviction that
this offer is "A fair one. and certainly
! one warranting negotiation on the
part Of all Should France enter q
general allied conference. and bolt
from its general viewpoint then the
French would be. left alone to pur-
sue their ways. but over the protests
or other powers. powers to which
France is indebted. 1t is believed
certain that If Poincare does fiout
mediately will be informed that the
British desire some agreement as to
the vast debt which France owes
England and in such case the break
between the two probably would be
complete. in SO far as working to-
In lo fy,rr tx.Ax
policies is concerned.
France Wants Co-Operation.
There IS no question but that
France wants the cooperation of all
her wartime allies. But the ma
tionalistic school Of thought is rid
ing in the saddle SO hard at the mo-
ment that the more modern elements
dare, not raise their voices in
the direction of any settlement that
is not tinged with irsn. All France,
according to the latest dispatches.
believes that the rule of iron alone
Is sufficient to collect reparations.
But If the Germans through allied
influence make a definite offer which
is even more liberal than. that of
June 9, and other allies insist that
II is sufficiently good to recognize.
then there would be grave doubt
that Poincare could resist negotfa-
tion. Particularly would this be true
in view OF the possible subsequent
withdrawal of Belgiafis from the
Ruhr. an act. which in itself would
be repudiation | of the French
theory that force alone can exact
those amounts due from Germany.
Should Belgian break this far with
France. sine must. by virtue of her
economic and financial situation, find
that the only nation in Europe
equipped 20 aid Belgium Is England.
italy is in q similar situation and It
is believed that an alliance OF the
three irBwers, to make their own
terms with Germany is not only pos
sible but likely in case France con-
tinues to ignore the wishes of other
tie political theories. =,
Furthermore, with the aid Of one
time enemies, Germany can recover
TO, a point of paying French repara-
tions, recover to point that she
once more, will be a big thriving ma
tion, one that the French might con-
slider a menace to French purposes
throughout Europe. y.
"A recovered Germany working in
cooperation with Frances one-time
allies is not pretty picture for
French statesmen to contemplate,
and If dispatches from London may
be credited. England believes It will
be this potentiality more than any
other that Will force France into an
allied council with subsequent modi-
f1cation of her present policy, pro-
vided, of course, Germany makes
more concessions