Evening star., 1923-01-04
ALLIES STRUGGLING
FOR RIGHT TORULE
Political Supremacy of Eu-
rope One Stake in Paris
Deliberations.
suspicious ARE RAMPANT
French and British Look for Traps
Behind Each Others
Proposals.
by PAUL SCOTT MOwRER-

4
| News. Copyright. 1923.
! PARIS. January 4.-There is little
doubt that although both France and
Great Britain are talking economics
and both arc impe!led by strong eoo-
| nomio considerations, they are also
both thinking of one another largely
! in terms OF politics. Behind the rep
arations controversy looms tho ambi-
tiOn of both these powers for political
! supremacy in Europe. Neither ad-
mits this fact as regards itself. but
zach perceives It as regards the other.
The whole British reparations
PLAN" says lie Temps. "is little more
| than a scheme to establish British
hegemony indefinitely. After four
years of a complete moratorium the
question of wrestling payments from
Germany would arise. 1t would be a
redoubtaole crisis. 1t would depend
upon Great Britain whether this de-
generated into a conflict and whether
Germany, duly restored, should be
victorious.
British Suspected.
when the British government
brings forward a project which in
four years confronts ruined France
and restored Germany how should we
believe otherwise than that British
diplomacy. the British general staff
and the British admiralty have not
| failed to envisage the probable ef-
fects Of such a situation?
rope which Is at stake. The ties form
q nv n "a he, t-k
allied nations living on the continent
can no longer count on anything save
their own force and their own poll
cies to safeguard their prosperity, Sc
curity and independence"
Just as the British claim that their
plan is wholly economic and the
French find II largely political. so
the French claim that their own plan
is wholly economic and the British
find 1t largely political. 1t may be
true that the British, as they pretend.
may fear that French occupation of
the Ruhr basin would fail to exact
considerable payments from Germany,
but they seem also to fear that Il
would esta blish French preponderance
in Europe.
Explains British Fears.
These British fears are fully ex-
planned by one of those authoritative
anonymous writers who contributes
to that organ Of the British common
wealth of nations known as the Round
Table.
He declares that Great Britain, IL
only in its own interests, would never
consent to the Ruhr district passing
under French control. France already"
says this writer. possesses a powerful
air fleet and a highly developed chemi-
cal industry for the production of poi
soned gas. She also has heavy guns
and. most important of all, a large force
OF submarines. II she were to occupy
the Ruhr district she would, in a6dt-
tion, control the coal. iron and steel
supplies of Europe. This would mean
the end of the English policy of a bal
ance Of power. France would then be
a far greater danger to Europe than
Germany ever was before the war, for
she has outlets on the Mediterranean
that Germany never had, and for her
smaller population. which is quite
capable of feeding itself. a blockade has
not the same terrors.'
1t seems certain that both the French
and British are really acting from pre-
dominantly economic or financial mo-
tives. but the political suspicious which
each entertains regarding the other
complicate everything.