Evening star., 1923-08-19
FRENCH FEELINGS
! HURT BY CURz0N
Linking Nation With Ger
. many Considered Hardest
i, Blow of All.
BY ANDRE TARDIEU.

BY Cable to The Star.
PARIS, August is. - The feeling
aroused in France by the British note
has not yet calmed down. And al
though this feeling is expressed by
certain French newspapers in man.
ner neither intelligent nor measured,
It is justified in substance and form.
For months and years Europe's real
trouble has been more psychological
and political than financial. The note
by Marquis CurZon, British foreign
secretary, illustrates this nicely. What
the French people feel most deeply
against England, although official
documents do not mention it, is that
she has too quickly forgotten the
war-its causes, history and conse-
quences. What hurts most in the
Curzon note is that little phrase hard
ly three lines long, where France and
Belgium are placed in the same place
as Germany. where England an
nounces that if she cannot obtain
from Germany 14500. 100000 gold
marks to apply to her debt to the
United States she will demand them
from France. Some words cut deeper
than deeds, and this is one.
Repudiutcs Treaty.
A IS for substance, the note steps en-
tirely outside the only firm ground
upon which the allies can stand
United States did not ratify this
treaty, but made a separate peace
with Germany. We regretted ii
deeply. but we recognize the fact that
it leaves America free to propose so
lutions outside and even contrary to
the Versailles pact. Not the same
with England. who not only signed,
but ratified the treaty. Neither can
IT be forgotten that, above all. it was
England at the Paris conference who
K he ~
clauses what they are, and when the
allies peremtOrily refused to discuss
reductions with the German delegate
at the conference it was Lloyd
Georges secretary, Phillip Kerr, who
drafted the note.
Now when Baldwin and Curzon
seem to have forgotten all that. and
try to wipe out the principle under
lying the whole treaty-namely. that
all damages to persons and property
must be repaired-they take liberties
which France deems to be excessive.
II England wants the treaty revised
let her say SO. but il is improper to
act as if revision were taken for
granted, at least OS far as France
and Belgium are concerned. For il
is worth noting that England never
suggests modifying the naval and CO.
1onial clauses, which met the British
claims.
Result of Separate Peace.
Everybody is talking about the
split But how can an entente which
is not defined in any treaty be dis
solved? The split will come when
Great Britain, pushing the Versailles
treaty aside, attempts to make
separate peace with Germany. This
possibility is not included in Cur
zon's note nor directly threatened.
but Chancellor Stresemann's arrival
In power makes it seem likely. In
that case there would he a split. not
of the entente. which does not exist.
but splitting to pieces of treaty
solemnly signed.
Happily, we are not yet at that
point and there is time for moves to-
ward conciliatiOn on both sides of
the channel. The British should un-
derStand two things: First that all
estimates of Germany's paying capac-
ity, based on present data, cannot
get them anywhere. and second, that
all compromises such as Curzons
which would leave France seven BID
lion marks for reparations. are unjust
as we'll as offensive to the country
which served as a battlefield for all
the allies. But all who know Cur
Zon know that tact has never been
his strong point and that he lacks
Intuition.
AS for France. she must produce a
program of positive solutions instead
of always merely discussing and re-
futing. This program must contain
wv eSSehtidl anu IHSepdidDlt elt-
ments: First. the minimum sum that
France desires for reparations, and
second. what part the Ruhr occupa-
tion will play in the settlement.
Shall the Ruhr furnish cash, or
kind? In what form will it be?
What must unoccupfed Germany add
to this amount to make up the total?
France should answer these questions
But, as we have always said, she can
not answer until the Ruhr action
shows definite results.
That's why the writer says again
that for France, action is preferable
to speeches.
(Copyrirht 1899