Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-26
FRANCE MUST DECIDE

An eleventh hour move is being made to save Europe. The
United States has again expressed a willingness to take a hand
provided the countries involved want her to. France is the stun
bling block. There is reason to believe that things are going too
much as France wants them to go for her to bode any interference
at this time. If it is the breaking up Of Germany that France wants
and it looks as if it was, she has only to sit tight and let present
matters take their course.
France has got to decide whether what she believes to be the
future security of France is more important to her than repara-
tons. It is very apparent that Germany split up into a great
Eany independent states will never be able to pay the Allies any.
where near what could be paid by one central government. In
fact, dealing with so many different governments each one jeal
Gus of the other would make collections practically impossible.
On the other hand, France believes that with Germany broken
up into many small states there would be less danger of another
invasion of French soil, by the Germans. While France needs
money badly, she never for a moment loses sight of her security
for the future.
There is no doubt, however, that sooner or later a leader will
rise among the Germans to reunite the people under one central
government. In Bavaria, Prussia, the Rhineland, Saxonv-some.
where within the old empire the right man will be found to head
a new confederation. There is nothing France can do to prevent
il. France may have the upper hand at present, and may be able
to hold it for some time, but from the very nature of things,
France with ~4o,OOO,oO0 population and a decreasing birth rate
cannot hope to forever dominate Germany with a combined popu-
lation of ~60OO0y0OO and a constantly increasing birth rate.
1t would seem, therefore, that the one best bet for France
would be to play for PREPARATIONS, collecting as much money as she
can from Germany so as to reduce her ever-growing debt and re-
duce her taxes which are now higher in France than anywhere
in the world; at the same time keeping what friends she has among
the other great powers. While there is no formal alliance with
England and America to protect France, there is a very friendly
feeling at present and this feeling alone is worth cultivating. But
il France elects to go alone after the warning she got from Pre-
mier Baldwin yesterday, and after the United States again ex-
pressing a willingness to take a hand in Strengthening out the diff
Hculties, she must be prepared to take the consequences.
h There is no desire to allow Germany to escape paying for the
war. The naughty Prussian must be humbled. He has got to ad-
NIT his defeat. From the time the German soldiers marched back
into Berlin with all flags flying and amid the cheers of the popu-
lace following the armistice, down to the abandonment of passive
resistance in the Ruhr, the Germans have refused to admit that
they have been beaten.
The condition in Germany today is largely the fault of the
try rather than pay the cost of the war. They have refused to
make an effort, even, to pay the amount imposed upon them. 1t
was this refusal that led France into the Ruhr in the first place.
Then began the long economic battle that has just ended, but not
until it seems almost too late to prevent a total collapse. .
But with the abandonment of passive resistance in the Ruhr
and an appeal to the PREPARATIONS commission under the Versailles
treaty to ascertain Germanys capacity to pay, it is time for France
to show a willing to be reasonable. This is what the offer of the
United States backed by Great Britain now amounts to. The
Hughes plan announced last December is that an independent
commission consisting of representatives from all the allied coun-
tries, make an exhaustive study of Germany and fix once and for
all the amount Of reparations that Germany is to pay. This looks
like the only way out. It is up to France whether a commission
shall be named or not.