Palisadian., 1923-01-05
1928

Another new year has started-no
different. perhaps, from all other
years in the getaway. 1t may be
said of the year just ended that 1t
was not distinguished by any great
start on the road to recovery from
the effects of the late Worlds War,
now more than four years over. The
great trouble has been that the diplo-
mats of Europe have been so much
engaged in a fight for advantage
among themselves that they have
been practically impotent to help
each other. In their turnings and
twistings to get the much-needed
start, they have always kept a
squirting eye on America with the
hope that this country would again
come to the front and finance them
out of their troubles. That we have
not done much of this sort of thing
has been due largely to our present
Administration attitude of aloofness
from European affairs. But, OF
course, long continued aloofness was
impossible because the rehabilitation
of Europe is really quite as much our
affair as theirs. Only our leaders
have not been willing to see 1t this
way until very recently. President
Harding, prompted by the initiative of
Senator Borah of Idaho, has now set
about the task of putting into opera
tion a plan that he hopes will give
a greater balance of stableness to
European affairs than has existed
since the war ended. More or less
farcical, the stand of Europe still was
logical, because the whole history of
Europe has been written in chapters
of chess playing-check-mating and
the paying of pawns.
BY far the greatest man in Europe
today is Lloyd George. He has had
the vision, at the same time he has
been the liberal. At heart he can
not have evil intent, albeit he might
have been more or less selfish in be-
half of his native land. But where
he could play liberal hand, he has
done it freely. In his more quiet
moments, however, he has shown the
genius of his makeup admirably, SO
that when all is said and done his
wisdom has been the greatest factor
in all Europe. Few of his stands on
diplomatic issues have been warped
He has pretty nearly been on the
level. He knows the possibilities of
the treaty now existing between Ger
many and Russia, which, though not
yet operating, is still the great over
hanging war cloud for renewed trou-
BILE over there. Thought moulders
in America who imagine they see war
in every European gesture are in
most cases themselves playing SIM
ple-minded politics. So far as one
humble observer can picture the sit
uation, it does not seem logical that
either Germany or Russia should
want to institute another war just
for the sake of an imaginary advan-
tage. No matter what kind of war
is waged between any two or more
nations. it is always a contest of
luck. There were conditions in the
late Worlds War when Germany
had every advantage; when every
cloud was tinged with hope of ulti-
mate victory. But Germany reckon
ed without her host. There stood
America, whom she had assaulted in
the sinking of the Lusitania, and then
came. the first Battle of the Marne,
where France upset all German cal
culations. Had there been no Lusi-
tania sinking, there might have been
no America in the war Had Ger
many foreseen the real strength of
France, she might have held back
her swarming hosts after passing
through Belgium until survey could
have been made. But these are the
fortunes of war. Germany had dis
senters in her own ranks, and others
headstrong enough to dare the
Kaiser, if not to openly defy him.
Hindenberg could not be restrained,
and never was restrained. He had
constructed the Hindenberg Line
how could Germany lose! Heroic,
and all that, yes-doubly heroic, and
finally tragic for Germany to the
final limit.
Enough of the war That is past.
The present moment finds our own
great and matchless country about
to recede from its announced policy
of isolation in European affairs, and
in proof of its sincerity, this para
graph from Secretary of State
Hughes is suggestive:
We cannot dispose of these
problems by calling them Euro
pean. for they are world prob
lens and we cannot escape the
injurious consequences of fail
ure to settle them. The
crux of the European situation
lies in the settlement of repara-
tions. There will be no adjust
ment of other needs, however
pressing, until definite and ac-
cepted basis for the discharge of
reparation claims has been fixed.
1t is futile to attempt to erect
any economic structure in Eu-
rope until the foundation is laid.
This clearly states the position of
America at this time, and it is the
great promise of the moment. II we
step in and point the way; if Amer
lea sounds the one clear note of hope,
war clouds will dissipate into thin