Evening star., 1924-06-29
ny FRANK II. sIMONDS.

n ow that the excitement and
NJ confusion of the French cleo
/ ton and it's consequent up
sets is over, with Poinca re
and Millerand ousted from Office. GER
tain facts are becoming patent. At
the outset it is manifest that the
changes, the election itself and the
inevitable displacements which fol-
io"ed have enormously strengthened
FRENCH position in the world. There
mas been marked change in British
opinion, which promises a degree of
cooperation between the war time
allies, and, in addition, all over the
world, IN America as Well as in Eu-
rope, the legend Of a rnilitaristic and
imperlalistic France seeking revenge
ana 'he destruction of Germany has
oeen abolished by the victory of the
french liberals and the demonstra-
'ion OF their purpose.
nut perhaps the most important
consequence has been the disclosure
OF at least faint sign of division
among Germans themselves. With
lhe coming of Herriot voices have
peen raised in Germany to combat
the policy of the reactionaries, to
support the idea of some form of
settlement with France other than a
settlement by a new war. In word
there is more than a hint that Ger
many, last of all the great beIliger-
ehts' is beginning to emerge from
the war mood
TO glance first at the amelioration
OF the French position in the eyes of
the world, it is to be noted at once
that the Dawes report, while it GER
talnly disposed of any French policy
Of destruction, and fatally compro-
missed the German purpose to evade
reparaticns and also did equal dam
age ito the effort of the junkers, un-
der cover of patriotic emotion, to re-
gain power and reorganize Germany
for new war.
Before the Dawes report came to
light the whole world was faced by
the seemingly insolubl0 puzzle of
finding a way to make Germany pay
without resorting to methods which
would arouse German resistance.
You had the vicious circle, Germany
refusing to pay and proclaiming her
bankruptcy and France determined
to be paid and driven step by step to
adopt methods which united Germans
in a passionate, if hopeless, resistance
to all payments.
Purposes OF Two Nations.
Poincare in France succeeded to
power and was supported by. the
French nation in the use OF force.
because for France security and
reparations were matters OF life and
death. But Ludendorff. Tfrpitz and
the old crowd in Germany in their
turn regained influence and ulti-
mately a measure of power. because
they were able to convince the mass
of the German people that the course
of Poincare was designed to destroy
Germany while ostensibly seeking to
collect reparations.
France and Great Britain broke,
because the mass of the British
people in turn came to suspect the
Poincare method, because they be-
loved that this method was actually
responsible for British industrial suf-
fering and that there was a close
connection between the occupation of
the Ruhr and the continuance of
British unemployment. But the
break between France and Britain
served to encourage the Germans to
resist, while the resistance in turn
drove Poincare to more and more ex-
treme measures
The German resistance, following
the occupation of the Ruhr, the nine
months of passive resistance, which
bankrupted Germany and produced
economic and fiscal disorganization
of vast proportions, was the culmina-
ton phase of this postwar situa-
tion France, with Belgium, was, to
all intents and purposes, again at
war with Germany. German indus
trial regions were occupied by
French and Belgian troops, German
industries were themselves exploited
by French agents protected by
French bayonets.
French Position Grows Worse.
And all the time the French situa-
ton in the world had grown worse.
haps, but inevitably. men and women
Of various nations were coming to
hold France, and not Germany, re-
sponsible for the unrest and unset
tIement in Europe. France was not
isolated because there were too many
small nations sharing her dangers
and relying upon her military aid
as the chief guarantee of their con-
tinued existence, but France was, in
a measure, morally isolated, particu-
larly in the two great Anglo-Saxon
countries, although the American
sentiment was still much more SYM
pathetic than the British.
Moreover, as I have said. the most
striking consequence of the French
course was the gradual restoration
of the influence of the old gang in
Germany, which had been response
Bile for the program of naval chal-
1enge to Britain, more than all re-
sponsible for the manner in which
Germany conducted the war, the
manner which slowly reused the
whole world against the German and
brought America to intervene de-
eisively in the critical year, 1917.
A year ago a new war between
France and Germany not only seemed
inevitable, but not long to be delayed.
The mass Of the Germans had become
convinced that France under Poincare
meant to destroy Germany, the mass
Of Frenchmen seeing Germany in
creasing signs Of hatred and passion,
we're convinced that Germany was
seeking first, by evasion, to complete
thu ruin Of Franco he11In in 127n and