Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-01-05

The New Year and Europe.
What Will Happen?
Powder and Matches.
Our Problem Is Here.
By Arthur Brisbane
In the New York American

III 1AuAOPO " lllAAl JCol III
rejects the offer, preferring to rely
on her army and the fact that she has
got Germany down, financially, indus
trially, physically and psychologically.
England thinks France is making a
mistake; that big armies are too ex-
pensive and hat keeping central Eu-
rope half dead is harmful to all Eu-
rope. Time will tell about that.
The Germans have made up their
minds that they can pay a certain
amount in gold, and will probably offer
ten or twelve billions-ten or twelve
times what Bismarck took from
France after 1870.
1t is not likely hat France will ac-
cept any offer Germany may make,
the French idea being that Germany
should remain permanently at Frances
heel. That would be wise, humanity
speaking, if feasible. But history
teaches that such things do not last.
There is Poland with her huge army,
more than half a million men, costing
more real money than Poland has.
Poland also relies on the army. But
across her frontier stands Russia's
army of six million men, directed by
men ADLER than any Poland possesses.
When Russia moves-especially if, as
Lloyd George suggests, Germany
unites with Russia-what will become
of the French plan for making Eu-
rope safe for France?
Will any plan work out? That is
the question, and Bonar Law, arriving
in Paris to discuss matters, is evil
IDENTIFY not hopeful. Certainly no plan
based on the permanent subsection of
Germany to a nation half Germany's
size can last forever.
Problems after the war are the big
gest problems.
Hungary, wondering what she will
be ordered to pay, u fer
vently hat she cannot pay anything,
and that it won't take much to put her
in the Bolshevik brigade.
England hopes, feebly, that the
United States can be used in some
way to make France take the English
view. But the French have no high
opinion of this country. They
believe we did not half enough, and
did it too late. They are convinced
that we have shirked our duty"
which apparently is to share and
finance Europe's vars.
The less we NEEDLE with Europe the
better for us as a nation. The less
President Harding NEEDLES with Eu-
rope the better for him as a candidate
in 1924. This is written by one that
mistakes not yet made.
The bright spot in Europe for the
moment is Italy. That was the land
that Russia and radicals expected to
see turn to communism first of all
Western Europe. But Mussolini, ere
formed" socialist, came along and the
Italian revolution turned in the other
direction, toward a conservative die
tatorship
Italy is now seized with a fervor
of patriotism. Workmen work over
time and really work. Employers are
made to include the good of workmen
in their calculations.
MuoOOIlnl . IlOIIO . HfClyOllC Ddo
the right to work. No one has the
right to strike, for that is bad for the
nation. Labor needs capital, capital
needs Iabor-no special favors for
either"
1t is working admirably now. How
long will it last?
Europe is like a powder magazine,
with a lot of boys in it trying to strike
matches. The wise, course is to pray
that the matches may not light, and
keep away from the powder.
In America we begin the new year
with an earnest effort, led by Attorney
General Daugherty, to make prohibit
ton real.
Insurance companies tell you that
their business is less safe than it was,
because of excessive drinking. The
prosperous classes are drinking more
than ever; the poorer classes drink
abominable stuff hat kills-and many
drink, literally, anything they a get,
regardless of the fact that it is poison.
In New York City, when nine died of
dring at once, it was assumed that
wood alcohol was to blame. Not at
all. The plain brand of bootleg alco-
hol did the killing, with no wood alco-
hol assistance.
Friends of prohibition say that there
is always trouble in the beginning. A
few must be killed off, to warn the
others, then a generation will grow up
caring nothing for drink.
1t seems hard on the number
killed off," This year of real effort
by the government will show whether
or not prohibition can be made prac-
tically effective. Mr.. Yellowley, the
government agent, who has the hard
est of all jobs, that of making New
York dry, believes the thing can and
will be done. He has seen territory,
absolutely wet, change to perfectly
dry. Along the Mississippi River,
where he worked formerly, the major
itv uyoro of fret in cuO1D atbu with tho