Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-03
BRITISH PREMIER
Continued from Pare Onel

annex n particle Of German territory,
and concerning British suspicion of
French motives in giving military as
SiStance to the little entente" Coun-
tries, declares that the French aims
are absolutely peaceful. and he only de-
sires that England should cooperate
with the sam, group of countries for
the purpose of maintaining peace in
! Europe. NJ. Poincarc seems to think
it will be long time before the com
mittees are able to present their re-
ports.
In the meantime he recchoes most
of the British prime minister's aspira-
tions for. cooperation by the two
countries in the interests of a Just set
Element and on the whole the CORE
cpondence. although it docs not ma
terially advance. certainly does not di
miniSh the chances of an ultimate set
Element.
Premier MacDonald's letter to NJ.
Poincare. which is dated February
II, says that, encouraged by the
friendly nature of Nj. Poincarc's re-
ply to his former letter, he desires to
prepare the way for more complete
mutual understanding by an unre-
served recital of the difficulties
with which | am faced and the man
ner in which l myself cnvisage the
situation"
Declaring that he wishes not only
TO interpret the views of his own
countrymen but sympatheticalIy to
realize French opinions and needs,
Mr.. Macdonald proceeds:
1T is widely felt in England that,
contrary to the provisions of the
Versailles treaty france is cndeav-
oring to create situation which
gains for it what ii failed to get
during the allied peace negotiations.
The vi ew of this section of my
countrymen Is that that policy can
only perpetuate uncertainty and dan
gers of condition, not Of. peace, but
of war, and that in the end II will
destroy whatever temporary security
France may gain.
There were many people in
France who imagined that with the
complete defeat of Germany they
would he automatically freed for
ever from n menace which | fully
realize was real: some thought that
in order 10 attain absolute security
the Franch frontiers should be ex-
tended TO the Rhine. They were
disappointed in this expectation.
They were offered. instead. joint
guarantee by Great Britain and the
United States. With the abstention of
America this offer lapsed, and the
French people have since with some
justification been seeking other more
tangible safeguards to replace it.
s"With regard to reparations also
the French public have suffered dis
appointment. Neither the virtually
unlimited expectations aroused at
the moment of victory nor the more
specific assessment made in 1921 has
been of any real relation to the eco
nomic situation as ii stands today.
"The position of this country is
entirely different. Our security by
land and sea remains unmenaced.
But our economic existence has been
gravely endangered owing not to the
inability of Germany to ray q GER
tain sum in reparations, but to the
acute and persistent dislocation of
the markets Of Europe, occasioned
mainly by the uncertainty Of the re-
lations between France and Ger
many"
Thus IL has come about that the
people in this country regard with anx
iefy what appears to them to be the
of France 10 ruin Ger
many and dominate the continent,
without consideration of our reason
able interests and future consequences
to n European settlement: that they
feel apprehension of the large military
and aerial establishments maintained