Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-28
EUROPE SEES WISDOM
= OF WIDER COOPERATION
Nationalistic Tendencies Tempered by
Labor and Socialistic Regimes Fur
thering Common Progress.

tive processes than any things that
have been accomplished since the
war. Governments at last were Civ
ing expression to the hopes and wish
es of their people, something that
had not always been true since the
war ended. The fires of hope were
kindled anew in the breasts of those
millions who had almost ceased to
expect anything tending toward the
Tightening of their daily burdens or
lessening the load of the generations
to follow them.
Work to Curtafl Armies.
During this period steps were in
itiated looking toward curtailment Of
the worlds great military forces
through the League of Nations A
protocol calling for reduction of arms
with adequate safeguards for all
signatories was effected 1t matters
little that since there have been eff
forts to disembowel potential agree
ments in this regard. The fact that
the movement has taken definite form
eventually will bear fruit, whether it
be next year, the next or the next.
The protocol was chiefly important
as committing various European gov
ernments to the actual need of reduc-
ing great ornaments all contribu-
tory factors to the tremendous fnan-
cial and economic burdens of the
people in all nations. With such COM
mitments the attention Of various
peoples has been focused on the
idea. Eventually the world will see
realization of a .united agreement
limiting ornaments and settlements
of the worlds disputes through the
means of arbitration and without
bloodshed. Next year will see even
greater strides toward realization of
this desired goal, and the starting
point, initiated by the Labor and
Socialist premiers of France and
England. must be recognized as one
OF the great moments of the year
AS a result of the turn of political
whirligigs, Europe witnessed aban-
donment of the old conservative ideas
of diplomacy and statecraft through
Labor and Socialist governments. Dur
ing the period of their greatest power
when both English and French gov
ernments were at the point of their
closest cooperation, Europe saw
definite drifts toward desired goals.
AS long as they remained in we'll
charted pathways all was we'll. But
the moment Premier Macdonald of
England departed from them in re-
gard to Prussia, and 1t appeared that
he was taking the soviets of Russia
to his bosom, the people of England
government again headed by Stanley
Baldwin. Premier Herriot remains at
the moment the head of the French
state, but definite tides have set in
against him, and 1t is confidently ex-
pected that he, too, will be retired
within the next six months.
Conservatism Again Rules.
The cause of conservatism once
moro is ruling Europe, but a con-
servatisIn that has been tempered by
the generous hands of Labor and So
cialistics regimes. Had Conservatives
and extreme Nationalists continued to
hold power without interruption there
is extreme doubt that France and
England would be cooperating as
they are. The advent of more liberal
regimes with subsequent efforts for
unity in the common cause of con-
tinental rehabilitation worked its
charm. The Conservative government
of England today is doing little else
than Selling the advantages gained
by the Macdonald regime, and in
dealing with Herriot of France has
expressed desire to perpetuate the
accords heightened when Macdonald
was in power. Only one thing have
the Conservatives of England hin
dered rather than helped to further,
and that is the adoption and extern
sion of the Geneva protocol upon dis
armament. Curtailment of military
forces is approached conservatively,
but in every other respect, particu-
larly IMPROVEMENTS with Germany,
all designed to further German ad-
vance in the interest of general wei
fare, the Conservatives have taken 4
forward look.
National interests have not been
abandoned by any government, but
actions have been taken with eye sin
gle to general restorative processes
as well.
All nations of Europe have made aG-
vances in every respect during the
past year, but individual advances
have been predicated upon decision
that only in general progress of tht
continent can strictly national in
terest be enhanced.
With this principle more and more
recognized, and with various govern
ments more and more intent upon
furthering understanding and safe
guards against disintegrating infiu-
ences, there is no reason to believe
that the good works of the past year
will be dissipated.