Evening star., 1924-09-14
PEOPLES OF EUROPE
IGNORING POLITICS
Tardieu Notes Marked Indif-
ference, With Condemnation
OF League Developments.
by ANDRE TARDIEU.


PARIS, September 13-In what
ever country one visited this Sum-
mer. whether France. England
Switzerland or Italy. one received
tie same impression-namely the
enormous indifference toward politi-
cal activities of governments.
The writer was in England during
the great London conference crisis,
and almost the sole topic of CONVEX
sation was the Facquer trial and
whether the murderer would hang.
Three weeks later. during the great
Geneva oratorical tournament, every
body thronged to Wembley to see the
old-fashioned military maneuvers
which replaced the banished cow
boys.
This Indifference is the strongest
possible, condemnation of the politi-
cal methods of the last five years and
particularly of what is now happen
ing in the League of Nations. De-
spite the improved agreement
reached by the British and French
delegations before the premiers de-
parted, everything that has happened
in the last 10 days confirms the un-
derlying disagreement mentioned in
the writer's last dispatch. And if
the public takes so little interest in
the varied maneuvers designed to
cover up this disa greement 1t is be-
cause the public instinctively knows
these maneuvers will be sterile.
Disarmament Debates Cited.
Read the debates of the commit
tees and subcommittee discussing
disarmament. You will find therein
both of the fundamental ideas which
dominated the discussions of the
league covenant in 1919. On one
hand is the need for security, which,
arming to protect themselves. must
he found in a broad pact for mutual
assistance. On the other side is dis
trust of such pacts, coupled with
ideas of absolute sovereignty which
would make a super state impossible.
The writer has before him the
speech of Signor Schanzer of Italy. at
Geneva. and President Wilson's speech
in 1919. The former seems. to be
direct plagiarism of the latter. Re
plying to Leon Bourgeois, who de-
manded that the League have an
armed force, otherwise it could not
inforce security. Mr.. Wilson said mo
super state" as Schanzer did on
Thursday. So the covenant in Article
10 merely stated the principle with
out providing means for enforce
ment.
Problem Not Easily Solved.
The result has been the conclusion
of separate treaties. such as the lit
tie entente. The Geneva discussion
meets the same obstacles, and no
matter how ingenious the formulas
may be, the problem will not be
solved tomorrow. All this is the re-
suit of separate political tendencies
in Anglo Saxon countries against the
continent
Without considering the United
States. which will need a long time
to assimilate the underlying prin-
ciples of European politics-the
American idea of a frontier. for ex-
ample, is a geographical abstractio
and not s-.nguinary reality-Eng-
land has just shown, through Prime
Minister MacDonald's speech. how
utterly unconscious she is of what
has been the continents very life
for ages past
Only consider his harshness toward
smaller states. which negates the
moral basis of the last war The
need of these small states for securi-
ty is matter of Indifference to Eng
land. When Germany got too power
full. Great Britain took a sudden in
terest in Europe, but since Germany's
defeat the foreign Office returns to
its selfish isolation. which shines so
clearly through Mr.. MacDonald's
evangelistic words.
Differences Sharp ms Ever
Against this what does it matter if
the League hall shakes with applause
when Mac Donald and Herriot dra-
matically shake hands One need
only go from the public session into
closed committee rooms to find the
old differences as sharp as ever Can
it be wondered that the public no
tonger takes interest in these scenes, |
which have been re-enacted so often
in the last six years The more the
neople see of ambassadorial accolades
the less they believe in them.
In 1919 the difficulties were brideed
in the best way possible, but since
then nothing has been done but to
tear down what was accomplished
then. and We perceive too late that
we have nothing better to substitute.
One may well ask whether interna-
tional anarchy has ever been more
triumphant than today. The speeches
OF Count Apponyi of Hungary and M
Hynans of Belgium, to say nothing
OF Germany's campaign concerning
war guilt, make this question ex-
tremely timely.
Copyright, 1924.)