Evening star., 1923-04-23
Analysis of France.
Writer Disagrees With DR..
Wileys Spirited Defense.
10 the Editor OF The Star:

10 the Editor OF The Star:
May 1 have the privilege OF pre-
! senting my viewpoint of matters dis
| cussed by DR.. Harvey Wiley in the
columns OF a recent Sundays Star, and
perhaps thereby adding a little to the
discussion in which he has taken
part?
with some portions of his letter
l am in hearty agreement, and he has
quoted extensively from q document
ary source to support his views. AS
i read his letter, however. it seemed
10 me that he labored unduly to
! present matters in a light favorable
to France. and that the historical
! accuracy Of his remarks suffered
| thereby.
have read his letter with great
! interest, and it is not in a spirit Of
| antagonism that 1 subject it to my
| criticism. Nor is it with the purpose
or holding brief for Germany, for
| sympathize heartily with Frances
attitude in many things. / have felt
with him that there is an organized
propaganda abroad in the land to
| dlscredit France in the eyes Of Amer
ica' out, unlike him, l am not taken
up only with the pro-German sources
| or this. The latter is to be expected
| and Is easily recognized There are,
| however, other sources and they are
travelling discreetly concealed.
Seeks imperialism.
Beginning with the washington
conference, at which the French with
characteristic honesty stated their
views on naval affairs in q, way dis
tinctly challenging TO Great Britain,
there has been in this country a
STEADY and concerted effort in many
sectors to place upon France the
stigma OF imperalistic policy-and I
oelleVe France is following such q
poiicy. However, that it is a discredit
10 her' and even disreputable for her
10 attempt this, is a view not justified
IN my opinion. She is not alone;
there are other empires with all the
! attributes of imperialism who bask in
the sunshine Of public favor at times
ana take on themselves the role OF
oe'ehders OF civilization TO euphonize
their Imperialism
Inc success of France TODAY irri-
| tates, perhaps frightens, one of thes.
empires which now seeks to discredit
hef IN the eyes OF the world, as il
once successfully and rapidly turned
the sentiment of the world against
'he herman empire when it sought to
dominate the continent.
British Expansion,
In my opinion the action of Rr;,si,
is as legitimate as the desire NJ
france Tor expansion and power,
lhey are phases merely of a struggle
| which has repeated itself in centuries
| gone by-the desire Of France for
continental domination and the crea-
tioii or coalitions by Britain to de-
| slros that domination. In notes I
| made on the Washington conference.
! III January, 1922. find the thought
| expressed that from that period I
! iei' would date the open struggle be-
| tween France and England cit had
! ALREADY begun in camera at Paris in
! 1919 and the inception Of 2 Rr;t.
ish effort to ALLEVIATE the sentimental
I,rlehoship of our people toward
! France by reason Of episodes of the
revolution.
That Bismarck and others in power
IN Germany In 1870 desired war with
! France is historically true. But this
lact does not per Sc explain the
causes of'the eFranco-Prussian war. "a
apparently DR.. Wiley intends that IL
should. Nor can 1 find therein a
relevancy to the present actions of
r
the Ruhr, nor any justification for
| us use as an apology for France.
such peculiar and narrow assump-
tion ignores the fact of the French
! russia. in whom she saw the prob
able organizer of a determined oppo.
| sltlon among the feeble German
states, which France had SO fire.
quently kept in subsection. 1t ignores
also the efforts of Napoleon III to
strengthen at that time his govern
ment in the affection OF the French
people, by restoring the military
splendor Of the Great Napoleon. by q
vigorous policy against Prussia. 1t
passes over in silence the dictatorial
successor to the spanish e ish''el throne. 9a =
/ which undoubtedly showed Bismarck,
! as well AS any one who sensed the
undercurrents of the situation. that
test.of strength with France must
,
point that moment was the most
favorable for German success.
Impartial Views.
Our shocked moral sense in the Ems
telegram affairs ought not to prevent
an intelligent weighing Of all the
causes and factors involved I grant,
though, that it is almost a universal
practice that men Judge historical
events as the feelings dictate rather
than as their reason might guide
them, or as if they were more deslr-
GUS OF denouncing an act of which
they cannot approve rather than OF
estimating it's historical value.
With respect to the acquisition Of
Savoy and Nice by France in 1860
DR.. Wiley does not point out that the
a id of the French emperor was grant
ed to the Sardinians against Austria
largely because France was jealous
rival of the latter, and had been
promised Savoy and Nice (regardless
of the wishes Of the natives) in case
of successful issue of the war. Tho
cause Of Italian liberty had little to
do with the whole maneuver, for only
ten years previous France had inter-
fered in the affairs OF the republic Of
Rome and had caused it's downfall,
actuated by the same dislike for Aus
tria. 1t must be recalled, too that
the surrender of Savoy and Nice to
France by Cavour embittered many
Italians. among them Garibaldi, a
noted and ardent champion of Italian
independence.
/; Black Troops on Rhine.
The weakest paragraph in DR..
Wiley's letter is that in which he at
tempts to refute the just criticism
of France, in which many of her
friends have Joined, that the military