Evening star., 1924-07-13
HARDEN PESS|M|ST
. ON LONDON PARLEY
Declares France Has Not
Changed 0vernight-Sees
No Real Treaty Change.
NATI0NALISM GROWING
Germans See Little Difference in
France of Poincare
and Herriot.
NATIONALISM GROWING
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.

| By Cable to The Star.
BERLIN, July 12.-When the Arch
Clemenceau. then prime minister. if he
didn't really believe in God, the latter
is supposed to have said:
And you, monseigneur?
Today the writer would like to ask,
not heads Of the Roman church. but
leaders of European states, If they
really believe all the humbug which
| they were pretending before the world
war.
What noise about the approaching
London conference. AS II the salvation
of mankind depended on 1t.
Anybody who knows European candi-
dates thoroughly can predict that the
conference will be either extremely
limited or will close with a false bal
ance. The head of the British govern
ment, unfortunately, does not belong to
this group. Obviously, Prime Minister
Macdonald believes the fairy tale of
"A new France" He hopes to use the
opportunity presented by the conference
for a fundamental revision of the treaty
of Versailles But France has not
changed overnight.
People Are Cautious.
Nine-tenths of the French people
peasants, small tradeSmen and capital
| lists who have been longing since 1918
| for stable peace conditionS-Would
| laugh at anybody taunting them with
But they keep their army and even
| their victorious leaders.
| After weapons, Raymond Poincare,
| the Lorraine man of north France,
thought he could use milder methods
| like a doctor giving soothing medi-
cine after a painful Operation. There
| fore. he opened the gate of political
power to Edouard Herriot and his
| followers, southern men, inexperi-
| enced in war, who saw only German
| prisoners.
But France will not agree to any
essential change in the peace treaty
| especially from southerners, and
when the foreign office, by publish
| ing the conference program, wanted
| to prepare revision, the Herrlot
| cabinet was Immediately endangered
| because 1t appeared to be yielding all
methods of defense which Premier
Poincare had laboriously created
against British tutelage still more than
against German default.
Mr.. Macdonald was obliged to rush
| to Paris despite his bronchitis, which
| prevented his usual eloquence, and
make a low bow to the treaty OF
| Versailles, in order to save Herriot
He probably thought Il retire to
| jump better" reckoning on American
help, but perhaps he was not aware
of the difficulties of the jump.
| If the London conference is only
| to prepare for execution of the
Dawes report, this purpose would be
| served better by quiet, invisible
council of international bankers, in
Idustrialists, railroad men and ad-
licly harmonious, privately dishar-
monious concert of politicians, with
| whom the conference method is in
| Icreasing in inner political prestige
If the Ruhr. disarmament. inter
allied debts and security are spoken
of, it will be seen that Heriots
France differs little from Poincare's S
| France.
| Execution of the Dawes report will
remain in the air so long as it is url
certain what laws necessary for Its
execution Germany is able and will
| ing to put into force.
The German republic is breathing
| with difficulty like a dangerously i'll
patient. NationalistS and moparchists
are pushing forward everywhere
standing in front. Stresemann's party
publicly raises the black, white and
red flag, which was abolished by the
| Weimar constitution, and courts the
J favor of the nationalists to whom a
duty on corn, aimed at American i'm
ports, was granted in return for no,
obstructing the Dawes report
Plan Military Ceremony.
Professors and students proclaim
| loudly their adherence to the mon
archy. Just before constitution day
| which will be thereby obliterated, a
| military ceremony is to take place
| in remembrance of the glorious deeds
of the ancient army. The republic
| from the capital of which alone
despite money penury and high prices
| 100000 persons went to watering
| places in two days recently, does not
| think of defending itself.
Foreign diplomats are beginning to
| reckon on approaching restoration OF
| the monarchy as is proved by the fac,
| that the Dutch ambassador recently
gave a dinner to the ex-crown prince
| who is living happily at Potsdam
Those invited were generals anG
other representatives of the old
regime, who all see in the democratic
| republic an almost unbearable evil.
| But Macdonald and Herriott, whose
countries are separated by a gulf OF
interests deeper than that between
| France and Germany, imagine they
| only need conference to insure VIC
| tory for peaceful democratic Europe
| They proclaim complete agreement
| in Paris, still more complete agree.
| ment in London, and ask, angrily, il
| you don't really believe it.
You can only answer like M. Gle.
menceau:
| "And YOU. sirS?"