Evening star., 1923-05-27
END CHAOS In EUROPE. r
is PLEA To- AMERICA
Sir Gilbert Parker Cites Reasons Whv
United States Should Act on
Ruhr Seizure.

England cannot: and Frances failure
would be the trade crisis of Great
Britain. The allies of Great Britain
owe her more than double what she
owes the United States. but she can
not pay the United States without
bankruptcy unless she is paid by
those who owe her, including France.
| What have been British gains ter
r1torial1y by the war? Nothing that
| is of permanent value to the people
| OF these islands. Not a colony that
we got from Germany is self-sup-
porting and there is no monetary :ad-
vantage in them. France has regain
ed Alsace-Lorraine, which has vast
mineral resources. Italy has secured
territorial safety by absorbed Aus
! trian territory on her border and bX
better harbors for her navy. But
,, Great Britain has got naught that
brings her cash or extended trade
| Germany is not wiped out as com,
mercial foe, for she has q population
that almost controlled the worlds
/ trade before 1914, and she can again
| play great part in the worlds COM
merce. without which she cannot pay
reparations to France at all.
Trade Supremacy Impossible.
Does France. with her 35,000, 900 OF
people, think that she can be domi-
nant commercially over 70,0O0.000 OF
| the most successful traders and mer-
chants in the world?, 1t is not posi-
1 BILE.
[ IHc TcnCH people are not dGRen-
crate. They are very great people.
as the late war showed: for never did
Napoleon's soldiers fight as did the
! men of today in the recent war
rines, fire and machine guns. But
| they cannot do the impossible, and to
conquer Germany's trade rivalry and
i power is beyond their capacity.
Every nation. made poor makes its
| neighboring nation poorer. and a
4 Germ2nv n
| France but ultimate poverty and to
I England absolute ruin, for in that
| case she cannot exist-her foreign
J trade will not be restored. Great
Britain has had a wonderful position
as the distributing swivel of the
world because of her shipping and
unique geographical position, and
only by such trade has she been able
,, to meet the obligations of the past.
Her natural instinct has been to be
| friend France as her nearest neigh
| Dor, and France has not succeeded in
| modern times in beating British
trade. The late war was final evil
dence of our international consan-
guinity, but Great Britain cannot
agree that France in the Euhr can
! bring anything that could not have
! been got without vastly expensive
armed intervention.
/ Belgian Admits Unity.
There have been recently two indie
| pendent deputations to the Ruhr.
| One is Belgian and the other is Brit
! ish, representing the British labor
party. The Belgian eX-minister, NJ
| Wauters. said at Essen: we are
| seven. and we are unanimously
agreed that the Ruhr miners will
! hold out. Our inquiries show that
| the workmen of the Ruhr are willing
! to do everything possible to deliver
| goods on account of reparations, but
! they are determined to do nothing so
| long as the mines. railway stations,
post offices and factories are occu-
| pied by French troops"
| This was from the representative
! of a country which supports France
in the Ruhr. and it expressed what
is felt in this country.
At 4 recent meeting of the cham
bers of commerce of the world a
Rome, American delegates wished to
move resolution questioning the
| wisdom of the Ruhr enterprise, but
| advocated the holding of an inter
national conference. which, attended
by diplomatic representatives and
business men, should deal with the
interallied debts. unbalanced bud
gets. imitation. disturbed international
credits and abnormal fluctuations in
exchanges. Herr Groner. minister OF
transport at Berlin, issued a peremp-
! tory order to the railway men and
officials in the occupied territory and
the Ruhr telling them to adhere
solely to the instructions of the Ger
man government. 1t assured rail
way men and their families of full
compensation by the German govern
ment if turned out of work by the
French and Belgians. The order con
cludes: Hold out as you have done
hitherto"
Time Passing Fast.
All this shows which way the wind
| is blowing, but it can get no results
unless France takes into considera-
tion the conclusions of such a con-
ference as is proposed by the cham
bers of commerce of the world, and
time is passing fast, and today is
not the same as tomorrow in inter-
national affairs
May I try to sum up the present
| situation:
Despairing of reparations being
made, France has entered the Ruhr.
hoping by display of force by one
of the best armies in the world 10
secure reparations, and. il not, TO
destroy Germany's opportunity to get
back TO successful commercial life,
Meanwhile thes Turk waits, hoping
in the disunion of France and Great
Britain to get what he wants, and
his chances are good though he will
never again control the straits Of
the Dardanelles, and that is a vast
achievement for the powers AS for
the capitulations. it is serious ques
tion for the allies. but they will
Turkey with certain prescribed modi-
fications which will give guarantees
to foreigners.
Turks Play for Powers.
While France is in the Ruhr and
Turkey can, as she thinks, play off
one nation against another, there
must be misgivings and anxietieS
1smet Pasha. in letter from the
grand 'pational government at An
CORA, says: There exists between
the views of Turkey and the allies
no such divergence as to prevent the
establishment of peaceful rela-
accept the proposal put forward by
Signor Montague that the list of legal
counselors shall be drawn up by the
Permanent Court of International jus
tice instead of being elected by Tur-
key from among joint nationals that
1918. This will protect foreigners and
assure the just administration Of
Turkish law.
The league of nations cannot play
a part in the settlement of the Ruhr
difficulty. for France and Belgium :
and probably Italy would at once
leave the league. and that proposal
made by Mr.. Lloyd George a few
weeks ago was overwhelm. .gly de-
feated in the house of commons.
without the United States in the
league it must always fail of its vital
purpose, but if the United States
would consent through the league
of nations to secure France against
attack, and she could make her own
terms on that arrangement. the peace
of Europe would be at once secured.
The league of nations is an kmeri-
can invention. and the United States
would have joined the league If 1t
had been kept apart from the treaty
of Versailles. Is it too late for the